Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER Bhopal) Researchers have developed an effective photocatalyst, a substance that absorbs a wide range of solar energy and light to quicken chemical processes in laboratories and industries.

This new, sustainable development contributes to harnessing a renewable energy source for detoxifying harmful substances such as chemical warfare agents. Chemical warfare agents include mustard gas simulants like ‘2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide’ (CEES) and nerve agents, which are highly poisonous chemicals that affect a person’s nervous system.

This research represents a significant advancement in the field of ‘Photocatalysis’, a process where a substance (a photocatalyst) is used to change the rate of a chemical reaction when exposed to light. While many different types of photocatalysts are used in various industries for effective light harvesting, they all suffer from a drawback in that they only absorb UV or high-energy parts of light.

But this novel photocatalyst developed by IISER Bhopal researchers solves that problem. This newly-developed material called ‘UC-POP-Au’ displays remarkable strength and catalytic efficiency as it absorbs the entire spectrum of light, making it a more potent catalyst during chemical processes.

The findings of this research have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Angewandte Chemie (D.O.I:  https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202312910) in a paper co-authored by Prof. Abhijit Patra, Department of Chemistry, IISER Bhopal, and his research scholars, Ms. Shilpi Jaiswal, Dr. Arkaprabha Giri, Dr. Dependranath Mandal, and Madhurima Sarkar.