Research

It aims to mimic the process of natural photosynthesis using human-made systems to convert sunlight into chemical energy, particularly in the form of storable fuels. This technology has the potential to address critical global challenges, such as sustainable energy production and carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction. 

Photocatalytic hydrogen fuel production is a clean and sustainable method for generating hydrogen gas (H2) using the energy from sunlight and a photocatalyst. We mainly synthesize the nanocomposite photocatalysts to produce hydrogen generation through water splitting or by adding sacrificial electron donors.

We aim for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into chemical fuels which deals with mitigation of climate change. This process involves converting CO2, a greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, into useful chemical fuels such as methane (CH4), methanol (CH3OH), formic acid (HCOOH), etc. through photocatalytic reactions. 

We develop various nanomaterials of metals, metal oxides, Carbon nanotubes, graphene, and activated carbon-based nanocomposites to offer superior adsorption capabilities due to their unique structural and surface properties.  Surface modification and functionalization of core magnetic nanomaterials can be performed to enhance their adsorption selectivity for specific pollutants in water and for easy post-adsorption separation.

We investigate the strategies to develop visible light active semiconductor photocatalysts such as the fabrication of novel pristine photocatalysts, Metal/Nonmetal ion doping, and composite photocatalysts. We study the photocatalytic degradation of a wide array of pollutants including dyes, organic contaminants, pathogens, anti-biotics, etc.

We focus on fabricating the electrode materials for batteries and supercapacitors which can enhance the capacity, charge/discharge rates, and overall performance of the energy storage devices. Our efforts aim to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of these materials for a wide range of energy storage applications.