The consortium is conducting research on the solar conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide in tandem with the conversion of methane or alkanes to useful oxygen containing products such as alcohols.

The approach we are taking is to use semi - conducting nanoparticles to harvest visible light energy. Attached to these nanoparticles are two types of catalyst, one for carbon dioxide reduction, the other for alkane oxidation.

Thomas Nann's group at the University of East Anglia researches on nanomaterials covering the synthesis of new nanoparticles, their derivatisation and characterisation. This work has provided new insights into mesoscopic properties and novel applications in fields such as bio-imaging, display technologies and solar energy conversion.

Robin Perutz' group has expertise in the activation of small molecules, photo-induced electron transfer, and the structure and kinetics of reaction intermediates. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis, ultra-fast infra red spectroscopy and matrix isolation, coupled with theoretical techniques are used to elucidate the structure of intermediates and the mechanism of their formation.