Climate Change Mitigation

The global climate change phenomenon has emerged as a preeminent challenge that our planet is facing, demanding an urgent response. The rapid & relentless industrialization & urbanization have unleashed an unprecedented need for energy and mobility services worldwide, resulting in a corresponding surge in the emissions of CO2 & other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The global annual emission of 37 billion metric tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere is a significant contributor to the occurrence of global warming, leading to severe weather conditions that have a lasting impact on the planet. The Paris Agreement 2015 called on countries to pursue efforts to limit global warming below 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels. In order to effectively mitigate the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels, it is crucial to implement substantial decarbonization strategies such as achieving net-zero emissions and adopting clean energy alternatives. Carbon capture utilization and storage is the most pragmatic solution that the world is currently seeking. Solar radiation serves as the primary energy source for most mechanisms within the Earth’s ecosystem, driving the Earth’s energy budget. Averaged over an entire year, approximately 342 watts of solar energy fall upon every square meter of Earth, and therefore, it is one of the most abundant and easily accessible clean energy sources. However, solar power's intermittent and dynamic nature necessitates its storage and portability in the form of chemical fuels called “solar fuels” to tap its full potential. Combatting the impending global climate change by harvesting entire solar spectrum photons to reduce atmospheric and locally produced CO2 into fuel or fuel precursors is the most efficient mitigation strategy to create a carbon-neutral economy. In nature, photosynthesis by green plants is fundamental in creating a balance in the Carbon & Oxygen cycle essential for driving life on Earth. It involves the absorption of sunlight by chlorophyll in a light reaction, concomitantly oxidizing water to oxygen and reducing CO2 into carbohydrates. Thus, carbon neutrality can be achieved by mimicking the natural carbon cycle by designing an artificial photosynthetic model with solar energy as the sole input. My research involves synthesis of different shape & size plasmonic gold nanoparticles that can harvest solar energy in the full solar spectrum (UV-Vis-NIR) and design their hybrids with bioinspired molecular catalysts that are selective towards CO2 reduction & green hydrogen production.