Upcoming seminars and events
May 26: Seminar by Smaranda C. Marinescu, University of Southern California
Time: 10:15
Place: Ångström laboratory House 7, floor 2.
Abstract: We have shown that cobalt complexes with pendant secondary amine (NH) moieties act as highly efficient electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO2 to CO, and the proposed mechanism involves the formation of a hydrogen-bonding network intermediate that enables direct proton transfer from acid to the activated CO2 substrate. We also developed catalytic systems for the conversion of water into H2, such as the dithiolene-based coordination complexes and polymers that display remarkable electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We have also shown that cobalt phosphinothiolate complexes catalyze the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate with excellent selectivity. We have explored the immobilization of well-known CO2-reduction catalysts, such as metal porphyrins or rhenium bipyridine tricarbonyl moieties, via incorporation into covalent-organic frameworks or via covalent attachment through robust diazonium reductive coupling. We expect the design principles discovered in these studies to have a profound impact towards the development of advanced materials and sustainable technologies.
Artificial photosynthesis could generate new fossil-free fuels
Today, the vast majority of fuels such as ethanol and hydrogen are produced by fossil fuels using petroleum as a raw material. Artificial photosynthesis captures the sun's light using a technique similar to that used in solar cells, adds water and carbon dioxide, and out comes a fuel in the form of a gas or liquid, such as hydrogen or an alcohol. Two of CAPs researchers, Pia Lindberg (left) and Leif Hammarström (right) were interviewed in October 2022 for a focus story published by Uppsala university. Read the whole story and interview here: Artificial photosynthesis - Uppsala university.
The CAP workshop, September 27 - 28
The 2022 edition of the CAP workshop at Haga Slott (Enköping) was a great event!
CAP co-organizer of the Energy Theme day on May 19, 2022
A multidisciplinary theme week took place between 16-20 May on topics in science and technology at the Ångström Laboratory. During this week, current research within AI/Data-driven life science, the Universe and Mathematical Physics, Material, Energy and Climate change was presented by scientists and invited speakers from industry and other parts of society.
CAP co-organized the session on solar energy and solar fuels in the afternoon, with the following contributions:
Chairs Marika Edoff and Peter Lindblad.
- Marika Edoff, Uppsala University, Solve: Solelforskningscentrum Sverige - a new excellence centre.
- Solar Power in Sweden: Growth and future prospects
- Per Sundell, Vattenfall: Sustainable aviation fuel from CO2
- Pietro Campana, Mälardalen University: Combining photovoltaics and agriculture to agrivoltaics - sustainable land sharing
- Ellen Moons, Karlstad University: Research for efficient and stable new solar cells
- Leif Hammarström, Uppsala University: Solar fuel, an international overview
- Pia Lindberg, Uppsala University: Gren cell factories, fuels and chemicals from CO2 and solar energy
New semiconductor coating may pave way for future green fuel
Researchers at Uppsala university have developed a new coating material for semiconductors that may create new opportunities to produce fuels in processes that combine direct sunlight with electricity. The coating is a “metal-organic framework” – a three-dimensional network composed of individual organic molecules that are held in place, on the sub-nanometre scale, by tiny metal connectors.
“We’ve moved a step closer to our goal of producing the fuel of the future from sunlight,” says Sascha Ott, Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University. Read more about this story here.
"In the future, farmers may produce their own fuel"
Johannes Messinger, chair of CAP and Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Uppsala university, is working on a new method for producing fossil-free ammonia (NH3). He was interviewed on October 12, 2021.
"Ammonia is used in huge amounts and is a key component in the production of fertilisers and various chemicals. What is less well known is that it could also be used for long-term storage of hydrogen and as fuel. We are working on developing an electrochemical method in which nitrogen gas and water are directly combined to form ammonia."
Read the full interview Here.
On July 26-29, 2021, CAP co-organized the online International Solar Fuels Conference together with the Royal Society of Chemistry and CNRS Grenoble Alpes, ISF 2021. The conference was visited by leading solar fuels researchers from around the world, and was also preceded by a satellite meeting for young researchers. To know more, please visit the conference webpage: International Solar Fuels Conference 2021
SUNERGY Sweden Event
On 20th of April, 2021, 60+ participants joined the SUNERGY online event for Sweden. A dedicated meeting for Sweden that was organized in the run-up to the upcoming calls of the 2021-2022 Horizon Europe work programme and the SUNERGY – CO2 Value Europe joint brokerage event. The meeting was opened by Ann Magnuson, introducing the SUNERGY vision of enabling a fossil-free Europe through research and innovation. The event emphasized the important role that Sweden can play in this with its strong profile in renewable energy R&D.
Watch all the presentations on YouTube:
"His blue-green bacteria may produce biofuel in the future"
While Peter Lindblad has served in many academic roles over the years, it is to research that he always returns. His research group is developing fuels that could contribute to future energy solutions. “If you want to generate a lot of biomass, you should use a cyanobacteria,” says Peter Lindblad, professor of microbial chemistry. Read the full interview.
Soap bubbles on the rise
A research project led by Leif Hammarström at Uppsala University has been awarded a EUR 3.2 million grant by the European Commission. The aim is to create renewable solar fuel using soap foam, carbon dioxide and sunlight.
SoFiA (Soap Film-based Artificial Photosynthesis) aims to build a small-scale demonstrator device that will be able to produce solar fuels and raw materials for chemical industries using only sunlight, water and CO2. The SoFiA concept mimics the thylakoid membrane in leaves and uses molecular catalysts made from earth abundant materials, to form self-assembled photo catalytic surfaces with designed soap foams. Read more here.
Haining Tian doubly awarded in 2019 and 2020
Haining Tian was awarded the prestigious Göran Gustafsson Prize in 2020, and also was awarded Wallenberg Academy Fellow in Engineering and Technology 2019, for his work on catalysis and solar fuels.
Read more about Haining at the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation webpage, and on the Tian group webpage.
Shedding new light on greener synthesis pathways
In October 2019, Sascha Ott, Eszter Borbas, Leif Hammarström and Jacinto Sá, received a 5-year grant of 35 million kronor from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, for their interdisciplinary project "Unexplored Approaches to Organic Photoredox Catalysis”.
In this new research project, the groups will focus on finding new alternatives to several reactions that are widely used in the chemical industry. The objective is to develop new synthesis pathways that generate less waste, or new synthetic routes that previously have been unfeasible.
[Swedish] Nytt solbränsle med hjälp av artificiell fotosyntes - i såpbubblor
Projektet SoFiA (Soap Film-based Artificial Photosynthesis) har som mål att göra en apparat på labskala som producerar solbränslen och råmaterial till kemisk industri med hjälp av enbart solljus, vatten och koldioxid. SoFiA:s koncept härmar tylakoidmembranen hos gröna växter och använder molekylära katalysatorer gjorda av vanliga grundämnen i själv-associerande, foto-katalytiska ytor av designade såpfilmer och skum. Projektet har åtta partnerorganisationer i sex länder och koordineras av professor Leif Hammarström vid Uppsala universitet. SoFiA startade den första januari 2019 och löper under fyra år. Läs mer på projektets hemsida.
The First European Congress on Photosynthesis Research
Over 400 delegates from Europe, and all over the world, discussed recent findings in natural and artificial photosynthesison June 25 - 28, 2018. To see what it was all about, go to the conference homepage: ePS1.org. One of our prominent invited speakers, Junko Yano from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was interviewed in Swedish national radio. You can listen to the program here (mostly in Swedish).
The CAP workshop 2018
Our annual workshop was held in 2018 at Sigtunahöjden in Sigtuna, on April 26-27. Thanks for all the interesting presentations everyone, you made the workshop great!
Last updated April 12, 2023