UNIVERSITAS PADJADJARANP472024
R05 / Hydrogen production and sustainable catalytic conversion
Sustainable Energy & Chemical Conversion
We investigate functional inorganic materials and heterogeneous catalysts for hydrogen production and sustainable chemical conversion. Current interests include hydrogen evolution, iron redox cycling, and biomass-derived compounds, connecting catalyst structure, performance, and reusability with the production of energy carriers and value-added chemicals.
People in this direction
The questions behind the materials.
This direction connects materials chemistry with hydrogen production and the catalytic conversion of renewable feedstocks. We investigate how material structure, interfaces, and reaction conditions influence the formation of energy carriers and value-added chemicals.
Current energy interests include hydrogen evolution and iron redox cycling, including an integrated Schikorr reaction and photoreduction approach. These topics share questions about light response, charge transfer, and redox chemistry with the group’s environmental catalysis work, while pursuing a different application. Material composition, reaction medium, and activation conditions are defined for each project.
The chemical-conversion branch focuses on the development, characterization, and application of heterogeneous catalysts for converting biomass-derived compounds into value-added chemicals. Catalyst design, structure–property relationships, catalytic performance, and reusability are central to this work. The aim is to guide the development of efficient catalytic systems and more sustainable chemical processes. Current catalyst research also combines TiO₂-based materials and MOFs with molecular docking and DFT calculations, synthesis, characterization, and catalytic evaluation for organic synthesis and energy applications.
Across these branches, we connect material design with product quantification, comparison of operating conditions, and stability or reuse under defined conditions. Published work demonstrates corncob-derived sulfonated carbon as a heterogeneous catalyst for the esterification of levulinic acid with ethanol to produce ethyl levulinate, a fuel additive. This study connects biomass valorization with catalytic performance and catalyst reuse.
Research question
How can material structure, redox chemistry, and catalyst design support hydrogen production and sustainable chemical conversion?
Our objective: Investigate hydrogen evolution and iron redox cycling. Develop and characterize heterogeneous catalysts for biomass valorization. Connect structure–property relationships with catalytic performance, stability, and reusability.