Small Molecule Activation by Photon-Phonon Co-driven Catalysis

Date: 27^th November, 2026 (Friday)

Time: 5:00 - 6:00 pm (HKT)

 

Venue: Lecture Theatre T4, Meng Wah Complex

 

 

Carbon Neutrality Chair Professor of Materials Chemistry and Catalysis, MAE

Tsinghua University

 

Solar-driven activation of small molecules, e.g., H₂O, CO₂, CH₄ and N₂, is scientifically compelling and industrially important, as it offers an efficient route for solar energy storage and a green paradigm for chemical synthesis. However, sole “photon-driven” photocatalytic reactions remain kinetically very challenging [1]. Our earlier investigations into H₂O splitting over both inorganic and polymer catalysts have established that the low solar‑to‑fuel/chemical conversion efficiency arises from both rapid charge recombination and slow oxidation kinetics [2].

 

Build upon the fundamental understanding, we have developed a new concept of coupling photons (e.g. by light irradiation) with phonons (e.g. by heating) to co‑drive catalysis (PPCC), which yields much higher activity and selectivity than either conventional photocatalysis or thermal catalysis alone. The concept has been successfully verified in several systems, including CH₄ conversion to formaldehyde on Ru SAs@ZnO [3] and CH₄ to C₂H₆ over Au@TiO₂ [4]. Typically, photon-phonon co-driven processes over single atom catalysts also dramatically improve H₂ production from CH₃OH reforming [5]. Recently, a new concept of an intramolecular junction, composed of alternate benzene and triazine motifs in a CTF polymer can facilitate fast charge separation and is characterized by spatially separated reduction and oxidation sites in one molecular unit, thus substantially improving CH₄ conversion to ethanol and mitigating the overoxidation to CO₂, resulting in an unprecedented ethanol yield and selectivity of 80% under mild conditions [6]. More recently a unprecedented efficiency for CH₃OH to formaldehyde synthesis and N₂ to NH₃ production by this concept has also been demonstrated, leading to an overall quantum efficiency of >180% [7] or high ammonia synthesis rate under rather mild conditions [8]. The fundamentals underlying this new concept will also be discussed in-depth.

1. Wang, Y.; Vogel, A.; Sachs, M; Sprick, R.S.; Wilbraham,L.; Moniz, S.J.A.; Godin, R.; Zwijnenburg, M.A.; Durrant, J.R.; Cooper, A.I.; Tang, J, Nature Energy, 2019, 4, 746-760 (2019).

2. Tang, J.; Durrant, J.; Klug, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130 (42), 13885-13891 (2008).

3. Xu, Y.; Wang, C.; Li, X.; Xiong, L.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, L; Zhang, Q.; Gu, L.; Lan, L.; Tang, J., Nature Sustainability, 7, 1171–1181 (2024).

4. Li, X.; Li, C.; Xu, Y.; Liu, Q.; Bahri; M., Zhang, L.; Browning, N.D.; Cowan, A.J.; Tang, J., Nature Energy, 8, 1013–1022 (2023).

5. Wang, H., Qi, H., Sun, X., Jia, S., Li, X., Miao, T.J., Xiong, L., Wang, S., Zhang, X., Liu, X., Wang, a., Zhang, T., Huang, W., Tang, J. Nature Materials, 22, 619–626 (2023).

6. Xie, J.; Fu, C.; Quesne, M.G.; Guo, J.; Wang, C.; Xiong, L.; Windle, C.D.; Gadipelli, S.; Guo, Z.X.; Huang, W.; Catlow, C.R.A.; Tang, J., Nature, 639, 368-374 (2025)

7. Zhao, J., Xiong, L., Zheng, Y., Nie, Q., Yu.Z., .., Selloni, A., Gong, X., Huang, W., Tang, J. Nature Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01959-9 (2026).

8. Hou, L., Liu, Y., Cui, H., Qing, Z., Liu, M., Xiong, L., Chen, Y., Wang, H., Tang, J., Advanced Materials, http://doi.org/10.1002/adma.75041 (2026).