Global warming due to excessive CO2 emissions and fossil fuel depletion have urged the development of clean and cheap energy technologies to satisfy the ever-increasing energy demand and net reduction in CO2 emissions. Strategies to utilise CO2 captured from sources such as fossil fuel-based power stations are urgently required to mitigate climate changes. Renewable energy production is likely to be the cleanest method of producing electricity. However, renewable electricity generation through the use of solar, wind or tidal energy transfer is notoriously intermittent and can be inefficient on overcast, still days and non-existent between tides during still days. Developing technologies that are composed of diverse energy sectors including renewables, fuel cells and electrolysis cells is thus vital to fulfil efficient and flexible low carbon energy storage and conversion.
This project will seek to explore and develop the recently discovered materials in diverse electrochemical devices for efficient energy storage and conversion. This include converting CO2 into value added fuels and producing electricity using practical hydrocarbons or biogas. The CO2-derived fuels can be regarded as a storage medium for excess renewable electricity supply, when excess renewable electricity is used to drive the CO2 conversion. These fuels have high energy density, are easy to store and transport, and are compatible with the existing fossil fuel infrastructure that hydrogen (H2) fuels are incompatible with. Additionally, the CO2-derived fuels can in turn be used to generate electricity when the renewables are "down", allowing extra fuelling to the system. The CO2 conversion device proposed can split steam and CO2 in the same flow, producing syngas (CO and H2) which is the feedstock for industrial synthetic fuel production. Further, the same device can reversibly work as a fuel cell to generate electricity. The materials used in these devices are critical to their output. Conventional fuel electrode materials (a mixture of nickel (Ni) and zirconia) have limitations due to their poor stability and durability under realistic fuel environments. Materials development in recent years has been focusing on alternative oxides preferably with the active components at nanoscale to maximise activity. The most exciting recent discovery is a group of titanate perovskites (with a formula ABO3), where their B-site metal, e.g. Ni, can move out of the perovskite lattice as the ambient conditions change. This exsolution of catalysts (metal, alloy, oxide) from the host lattice upon reduction can be used to decorate the electrode surface with nanoparticles offering high catalytic activity. Further, the exsolved nanoparticles are anchored to the surface of the parent perovskite, which makes them considerably more stable than catalysts added by conventional means. Nevertheless, the research on these materials in real electrochemical devices so far has been very limited.
The project will seek to deliver exsolution materials processing approach for CO2 conversion to maximise performance. The methodologies to drive exsolution of nanocatalysts during CO2 electrolysis operations will be developed. Conversion of steam and CO2 in the same flow will be also investigated using these materials, with specific focus on generating products with desirable CO/H2 ratios for industrial fuels synthesis. Finally, switching the electrolyser to fuel cell using realistic hydrocarbons or biogas fuel will be conducted, aiming to advance the development of a low carbon electricity generation system with significant robustness and cost-competitiveness. The overall objective is to develop and demonstrate a novel, efficient, flexible and robust technology as one that can realise both the fuel production through CO2 conversion and low carbon electricity generation, to help addressing utilisation of sustainable renewable energy and CO2 recycling for fuel production and climate mitigation.

Potential Impact:
Global impact:
The recent discovery that CO2 can be captured and converted into a fuel source is of paramount importance globally. Global warming due to CO2 overproduction and fossil fuel depletion are probably the greatest current threats to mankind. Awareness of the issues has urged the development of clean and cheap energy technologies to satisfy the ever-increasing energy demand and net reduction in CO2 emissions. The utilisation of CO2 is likely to contribute to the expansion of low emission markets and creation of new markets from both energy and environment points of view. Value-added fuel production based on CO2 conversion is an exciting, promising and profitable route to realise CO2 utilisation and climate mitigation in long-term, especially compared with sequestration. This is particularly sensible if the fuel production is powered by cheap renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, tidal, biomass etc. The CO2-derived fuels have very high energy density, and can be stored and transported using the fossil fuel infrastructure. This avoids issues seen for the H2 economy where extra expenditure on a new infrastructure is required. The proposed project will develop a technology to deliver efficient and cost-effective CO2 conversion for fuel production via an electrolyser with the recently discovered materials as catalysts. If this is successful, it will be significantly beneficial for facilitating relevant technologies development and creating interest to translate research into industry. As CO2 captured from existing sources, including fossil fuel-burning power plants, is expected to become available in the coming few decades, this technology will enable the economically viable fuel production from CO2 conversion happen readily, in the short to medium term, mitigating infrastructure costs, carbon footprints and local and national economy impacts. In the short term, the technology will help to address the utilisation of intermittent renewables, as the CO2-derived fuels production driven by using renewables can be regarded as a storage medium for excess renewable electricity supply.

The proposal will also seek to apply the above mentioned rarely reported new-generation materials in reversible electrolysers (i.e. fuel cells) to achieve efficient and cost-competitive carbon neutral electricity generation with practical hydrocarbons or biogas as fuel. The overall objective of the project is to develop and demonstrate a novel technology that is flexible and robust to enable both efficient and profitable fuel production from CO2 conversion and low carbon electricity generation from complex fuels. The key output will be creation of solid knowledge foundation in these areas of science and technology, which will contribute to enable the development of a decentralised system with several energy sectors, including renewables, fuel cells and electrolysers etc. Overall these will be seen to reshape the energy usage structure leading to displacing fossil fuels and transition to a sustainable energy economy in the future. By pushing this technology forward ang collaborating with industrial partners seeking upscaling and commercialisation, the UK will maintain its position at the forefront of cheap and clean energy technology.

Academic impact:
The research project will benefit the CO2 conversion and fuel cell academic community both theoretically and experimentally, and I will be interacting with the global community through publications, networking, conferences and workshops. In addition, by hiring a post-doctoral researcher who will work in synergy with me on the structure and surface property aspects of the materials and working with PhD student and project students, I will build on the UKs expertise in this field.