U of T Technology & Startup Explorer

Bio-inspired microfluidic layers for switchable window shading.

The vast majority of energy consumed by the human population is derived from burning fossil fuels because of their abundance and remarkably high energy density. The new catalytic supports prepared by Dr. Ozin’s lab offer a large improvement in yield of the gaseous process at ambient conditions, together with the discovery of both photochemical and photothermal activation in the system. This process resulted in a bold vision of a large scale photocatalytic energy plant, using sunlight to power the conversion of carbon dioxide and water to form natural gas and oxygen.

This invention is a novel indium-based photocatalyst that is capable of reducing CO2 (carbon dioxide) into CO (carbon monoxide). Currently there are 5.5 billion metric tons of CO2 produced annually with 2 billion tons consumed worldwide. CO2 emissions account for 82% of all US greenhouse gas emissions. The market for CO2 sequestration consists of a spectrum of offerings through either storage or recycling. Discovering a material capable of photocatalytic reduction of CO2 is a crucial step for the solar fuels economy.