Interviews with Faculty Researchers

– Interview with Dr Tian Tian
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology

In the face of growing environmental concerns and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, sustainable clean energy solutions have become paramount in addressing the global energy crisis. Hydrogen is emerging as a key solution due to its ability to produce energy with water as its only by-product, offering a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. However, existing hydrogen storage options, including compressed and cryogenic methods, face challenges such as high cost and safety concerns, limiting their widespread adoption in vehicles. This is where Dr Tian Tian’s pioneering research makes a breakthrough, developing advanced nanoporous materials that enhance safety and storage efficiency, thereby making hydrogen a more viable and scalable clean energy solution for future transportation.

As surface area determines the amount of hydrogen that can be stored, Dr Tian’s research focuses on developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with enhanced surface areas, enabling efficient hydrogen storage at lower pressures. By precisely arranging nanoparticles within these MOFs, he minimizes the interparticle gaps and maximizes storage potential. This innovative approach addresses traditional challenges in hydrogen storage, such as reliance on high-pressure containers and low temperatures, providing a safer and more efficient alternative.

Besides, another key aspect of his work involves synthesizing and characterizing metal-functionalized porous materials, including Cu-functionalized and Co-functionalized boron nitride. The synthesis of Cu-BN reflects the material optimization strategies employed in his research, aiming to create porous structures capable of storing gases or promoting chemical reactions under controlled conditions. Techniques such as FTIR, XPS, and PXRD are utilized for characterizing these materials and verifying their effectiveness in applications like hydrogen storage and CO₂ reduction.

However, challenges in the commercialization of MOFs for hydrogen storage have also been highlighted, particularly the high costs from organic solvents and low production yields that restrict large-scale use. Dr Tian believes his MOF-based solutions could significantly lower storage costs compared to traditional high-pressure tanks by reducing operational pressures. He also highlights the potential of his porous materials to support a zero-emission society by capturing carbon emissions from industries and enabling safer, more affordable hydrogen energy use.

設計和開發具有更佳氫儲存性能的新型納米多孔材料

– 田天博士專訪
應用生物及化學科技學系助理教授

應對全球能源危機的關鍵。相比化石燃料，燃燒氫氣的唯一副產品是水，因而氫氣成為理想的替代能源。然而，目前儲存氫氣的方法，如低溫液態儲氫和壓縮氣態儲氫技術，面臨高成本和潛在安全問題，這使得氫氣在交通工具中的應用難以普及。為此，田天博士研發出具開創性的多孔材料，旨在提升氫氣的儲存效率和安全性，使其成為未來交通工具的理想清潔能源。

由於物料的表面面積決定了儲存氫氣的數量，因此田博士將研究重點放在開發能夠擴大表面面積的金屬有機框架，以在較低壓的情況下提升氫氣的儲存量。透過將金屬有機框架納米粒子精確排列，粒子之間的空隙便能最大限度地減少，從而提高儲存空間。這種創新方法解決了包括低溫壓縮技術在內等傳統氫氣儲存的困局，並提供了一種更安全高效的替代方案。

此外，他還研究合成具有金屬官能團的多孔物料，包括帶有銅和鈷的多孔氮化硼。經過改良之後，這些銅氮化硼裡的多孔結構能夠在可控條件下儲存更多氣體並促進化學反應。他更運用了紅外線光譜、X 光電能譜和粉末 X 射線衍射等技術來進行實驗，證實這些金屬多孔材料在氫氣儲存和二氧化碳還原方面具有不錯的成效。

然而，金屬有機框架在商業應用方面面臨不少挑戰，尤其是有機溶劑的成本較高而且產量較低，這些因素都限制了大規模應用。田博士認為，與傳統的高壓氣罐相比，他的金屬有機框架已能在應用方面大幅降低儲存成本，並且在碳捕集、提升儲氫效用即安全性方面展現相當潛力，最終推動社會實現零排放的目標。