Our research group is dedicated to the design and synthesis of a diverse range of nanostructured and porous materials, including layered double hydroxides (LDHs), mixed metal oxides, porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), derived carbon materials and composites, and functionalized catalytic active porous polymers. These materials have various applications in heterogeneous catalysis and reaction engineering, including the catalytic conversion of fuels, environmental catalysts for air pollution control, and the clean conversion of gas and solid fuels.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are a class of materials with a unique layered structure composed of positively charged metal hydroxide layers and interlayer anions. They have attracted significant attention due to their ability to act as catalysts in various chemical reactions and their high stability in harsh environments. Our research involves the exploration of the potential applications of LDHs in catalysis, with a focus on optimizing their performance and expanding their range of uses. 

A current project of ours is focused on the development of LDHs-derived nanostructured mixed metal oxides for carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen production through thermochemical redox cycles, also known as chemical-looping processes.

Furthermore, LDHs have shown great potential as electrocatalysts in the fields of energy conversion and storage. They can facilitate the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with high activity and stability, making them suitable for use in water electrolyzers, rechargeable batteries and other energy storage devices. Our group is exploring the use of LDHs as electrocatalysts to enhance the performance and efficiency of energy conversion and storage technologies, with a focus on developing more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.

References

Q. Song, W. Liu, C. D. Bohn, R. N. Harper, E. Sivaniah, S. A. Scott and J. S. Dennis. A high performance oxygen storage material for chemical looping processes with CO2 capture, Energy & Environmental Science, 2013, 6, 288-298.

Michael High, Clemens F. Patzschke, Liya Zheng, Dewang Zeng, Oriol Gavalda-Diaz, Nan Ding, Ka Ho Horace Chien, Zili Zhang, George E. Wilson, Andrey V. Berenov, Stephen J. Skinner, Kyra L. Sedransk Campbell, Rui Xiao*, Paul S. Fennell* & Qilei Song*. Precursor engineering of hydrotalcite-derived redox sorbents for reversible and stable thermochemical oxygen storage. Nature Communications 13, 5109 (2022).

Michael High, Clemens F. Patzschke, Liya Zheng, Dewang Zeng, Rui Xiao, Paul S. Fennell, and Qilei Song*. Hydrotalcite-Derived Copper-Based Oxygen Carrier Materials for Efficient Chemical-Looping Combustion of Solid Fuels with CO₂ Capture. Energy & Fuels 2022 36 (18), 11062-11076.