College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series
Fernando Uribe-Romo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
UCF Department of Chemistry
Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at 6:00 p.m.
Tuscawilla Country Club
1500 Winter Springs Blvd.,
Winter Springs, FL 32708
Artificial Photosynthesis: The Future of Sustainable Solar Energy
Abstract: Scientists are now working on ways to replicate the effects of photosynthesis in non-organic materials. Climate change is found to be directly caused by carbon dioxide emissions as a result of human activity. New advanced and cost-effective materials that remove CO2 from the atmosphere are an imminent need.
This presentation will focus on the creation of materials known as a metal-organic framework (MOFs) that can capture large amounts CO2 and transform it into high-value chemicals using sunlight (a.k.a solar fuel). The MOFs are constructed from inexpensive and abundant elements (titanium, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen), and can transform CO2 with efficiency similar to photosynthesis (2%). Large-scale application of MOF photocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis can help reduce the carbon footprint of power plants and fight global warming.
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