REACT!-PHOTO
Chemical Reactivity and Photoreactivity

Research Line 1 - Advanced oxidation processes for water treatment

This line of research focuses on the use of advanced oxidation methods, essentially using photocatalysts and/or nanophotocatalysts, that facilitate the degradation/removal of pollutants, essentially persistent and/or emerging organic pollutants, present in both natural and waste waters, using especially solar radiation.

The objective is to achieve a more efficient economy and society in the use of various natural resources and water, so that they are resistant to climate change, considering as a priority the protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems.

Research Line 2 - Preparation and physicochemical characterization of photoactive nanomaterials

In this research line, potentially photoactive nanomaterials are synthesized and their physicochemical parameters (composition, size, shape, capacity to be used as adsorbents, specific surface area, pore size, crystallinity, photocatalytic properties -Eg-, zeta potential, etc.) are determined using different techniques (SEM, EDS, TEM, XRF, FT-IR, ss-NMR, AFM, DSC, etc.).

The synthesized and physicochemically characterized materials have applications in the field of water and air pollution control -using solar radiation-, in the clean production of hydrogen and in the field of fuel cells.

Research Line 3 - Computational Chemistry Calculations (ab initio, DFT and molecular dynamics calculations of species and chemical reactions)

This research line complements the two previous ones. The aim is to characterize, from the approach of Computational Chemistry, the different materials to be prepared, as well as to describe theoretically the chemical reactions of photodegradation of persistent and/or emerging organic pollutants whose reactivity is studied empirically.

Depending on the system in question, ab initio, DFT and/or molecular dynamics calculations are performed, for which access is available to various applications installed at the Supercomputing Center of Galicia (CESGA).