The Quebec Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie launched in October 2021 the 11th Quebec-Catalonia call for projects to support Quebec organizations in their partnerships with Catalan counterparts for the next two years. In this context, a new cooperation project between Federico Rosei, Professor at INRS (Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique) in Canada, and Joan Ramon Morante, Professor at the UB (University of Barcelona) and Director of IREC (Catalonia Institute for Energy Research) has been established.
The granted project aims to explore the potential of metal oxide nanoparticles obtained by an ecological physico-chemical process, in order to use their photocatalytic properties to produce hydrogen by separating water molecules. Metal oxide nanoparticles have recognized applications for capturing solar energy, its conversion into photovoltaic electricity, its storage in chemical bonds and its reuse in molecular catalysis, including the separation of molecules of water to produce hydrogen. These properties derive from the nature of their interfaces, which by virtue of their composition and structure, possess energies capable of breaking O-H chemical bonds.
During the two-year project, nanoparticles will be synthesized and studied jointly by INRS and IREC. The results will be the subject of scientific communications through the network of the MATECSS chair.
These activities will contribute to the strengthening of the international network of INRS and to the promotion of the sustainable development objectives of MATECSS, by increasing their visibility with actors who can welcome new students, trainees and young researchers from emerging countries.
