Abstract

Photocatalysis is becoming a valid approach to produce in a sustainable manner fuels using sunlight. Among the various photocatalysts, one that is attracting considerable attention due to their design flexibility are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). After a short introduction of MOF structure and their general photophysical properties, the seminar will present the various compositional and structural parameters that allow to increase the photocatalytic activity in MOFs. Most of the presentation will focus on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution showing the current state of the art and the goals to be achieved in terms of efficiency and stability. The last part of the talk will comment, more succinctly, on the use of MOFs in photocatalytic CO2 reduction and photocatalytic N2 fixation.

Biography

Hermenegildo García is full professor at the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), a joint research center with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). His work focuses on (electro-photo)catalysis focused on sustainability, circularity and renewable energy. He has authored over 950 publications in high-impact journals and his work has received more than 81,000 citations (GS), with an h-index of 136 (GS) and inclusion in the Shanghai-Thomson Reuters list of the world’s most-cited scientists every year since the first list in 2015.

Professor García has participated in over 20 EU-funded projects, including PLEC2023-010376, DAM4CO₂, and HYLIO, which explore innovative solutions for photocatalysis, CO₂ management, and hydrogen production. Recently he has been awarded with an ERC Advanced Grant.

His career achievements include the Janssen-Cilag Award (2011), the Rey D. Jaime I Award in New Technologies (2016), and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bucharest, the Spanish National Research award in 2021 and the Rylander award of the Organic Reactions Catalysis Society in 2024, Academician of the Spanish Royal Society in 2025, among others. He has served as President of the International Advisory Editorial Board of ChemCatChem until 2024 and member of the editorial board of other Wiley and Royal Society journals. According to the Web of Science, Professor García’s work has established research fronts in photocatalysis, MOFs, and advanced materials for renewable energy, contributing significantly to the global transition toward a sustainable and carbon-neutral future.