Hermenegildo García, a researcher at HG Energy from the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ-UPV-CSIC), and professor at UPV, has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, the most prestigious funding offered annually by the European Research Council (ERC).

The grant will support the development of the “Discovery” project over the next five years.

The project, led by Hermenegildo García, aims to develop catalysts based on MXenes, nanomaterials just 1 nanometer thick (one million times thinner than a human hair) and composed of metals. These materials have numerous applications in areas such as biomedicine (for tissue repair), large-scale electric energy storage, or hydrogen production from water with maximum efficiency, among others.

The goal of the Discovery project is to obtain results from a series of reactions that have been studied previously but have not yet been scaled for industrial use due to the lack of suitable catalysts.

Some examples of reactions to be explored include converting carbon dioxide into methanol and methane decomposition for hydrogen production. Discovery also aims to activate reactions using sunlight as the primary energy source with MXenes. This could replace conventional energy sources responsible for CO2 emissions, such as fossil fuel combustion, and even other renewable energies that require more costly infrastructure like electricity. By utilizing natural sunlight, the process would become more sustainable and economically attractive.

“Receiving this ERC will allow me to explore materials with great potential and apply them to reactions that could be highly relevant in the current decarbonization process. Together with Dr. Ana Primo and the rest of the research team, we began working on MXenes six years ago. In June, we brought together the top researchers in the field at the EUROMXENE2024 congress, held at UPV. Now, this ERC award will enhance the international visibility of our group in this globally promising field,” says Hermenegildo García.