{"id":105120,"date":"2026-10-27T15:15:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/from-porous-materials-to-green-hydrogen-dr-min-ying-tsangs-new-research-project\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:39:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:39:21","slug":"from-porous-materials-to-green-hydrogen-dr-min-ying-tsangs-new-research-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/from-porous-materials-to-green-hydrogen-dr-min-ying-tsangs-new-research-project\/","title":{"rendered":"From Porous Materials to Green Hydrogen: Dr. Min Ying Tsang’s New Research Project"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Dr. Min Ying Tsang is developing a new photocatalyst that could improve the efficiency of green hydrogen production from water using solar energy. Through the HydroUp project, she will combine her expertise in designing porous materials with advanced research automation methods used at the University of Zurich.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Most hydrogen produced today comes from fossil fuels, primarily natural gas, and its production generates significant carbon dioxide emissions. Scientists are therefore seeking ways to reduce the environmental impact of hydrogen production.<\/p>

One promising approach is photocatalysis, which enables hydrogen production from water using light energy. Although this method has been known for years, its practical application remains limited by factors such as the low efficiency and stability of existing materials. A key challenge is developing photocatalysts that can harness solar energy more efficiently.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

MOF Materials in Green Hydrogen Production<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Dr. Min Ying Tsang, head of the Functional Macromolecules and Porous Materials Research Group <\/a>at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT, will be working to address this challenge. Her research focuses on the design and synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)\u2014materials with highly ordered, porous structures whose properties can be tailored to specific applications. Her previous work has explored their use in photocatalysis, carbon dioxide capture, and optical technologies.<\/p>

One limitation of photocatalysis is that many existing materials require ultraviolet (UV) radiation to function. However, UV radiation accounts for only a small fraction of the sunlight reaching Earth’s surface. Visible light is much more abundant, but individual photons of visible light do not carry enough energy to activate certain photocatalysts. Scientists are exploring ways to modify these materials so they can directly utilize visible light. Dr. Min Ying Tsang, however, proposes a different approach: “We want to pursue a different strategy. By taking advantage of the properties of lanthanides, we can convert visible light into higher-energy radiation capable of activating the photocatalyst. This is the innovative aspect of our project,” explains Dr. Min Ying Tsang.<\/p>

The researcher aims to develop a material based on titanium-containing metal-organic frameworks doped with lanthanides\u2014elements known for their distinctive optical properties. The material would combine the ability to convert light energy with photocatalytic activity.<\/p>

The idea emerged from Dr. Min Ying Tsang’s experience working with porous materials and nanoparticles exhibiting photon upconversion: “I previously worked with nanoparticles used in applications such as imaging. That introduced me to the phenomenon of photon upconversion and made me wonder why we couldn’t try applying the same mechanism to MOF materials,” she says.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Automating Research on New Photocatalysts<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The HydroUp project has been recommended for funding under the National Science Centre’s OPUS 30 LAP call for proposals. Dr. Min Ying Tsang will conduct the research in collaboration with the University of Zurich, which operates a high-throughput laboratory equipped with automated research systems.<\/p>

The project is divided into three stages. First, researchers in Wroc\u0142aw will develop the photocatalytic material and establish a method for synthesizing it. Next, their Swiss partners will use automated systems to optimize its composition and properties. In the final stage, researchers at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT will produce the most promising materials on a larger scale and evaluate their effectiveness in hydrogen production. Determining the optimal concentration of lanthanides in the material will be particularly important. Even small changes in their concentration can affect the material’s properties, making highly precise experiments essential.<\/p>

“When we conduct experiments manually, there is always a risk of errors and variations between individual trials. The laboratory in Zurich uses robotic systems that allow researchers to control the quantities of added substances with great precision. This makes the experiments reproducible and enables us to determine exactly which material composition works best,” explains Dr. Min Ying Tsang.<\/p>

Dr. \u0141ukasz Janicki from the Advanced Semiconductor Epitaxy Research Group<\/a> at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT will also participate in the project. The researchers will draw on their expertise and existing equipment for studying water splitting and hydrogen production. The project also includes plans to purchase additional equipment to enable experiments with the new photocatalysts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Toward More Efficient Green Hydrogen Production<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The researchers aim to determine whether the proposed approach can improve the performance of photocatalysts. If the new method proves effective, further research will be needed to assess its potential for practical applications.<\/p>

“I hope this will become one of the strategies that can improve the performance of existing photocatalysts. The cost of hydrogen production remains a major barrier, which is why it is important to explore different ways to make the process more efficient,” the researcher explains.
<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Min Ying Tsang is developing a new photocatalyst that could improve the efficiency of green hydrogen production from water using solar energy. Through the HydroUp project, she will combine her expertise in designing porous materials with advanced research automation methods used at the University of Zurich.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":105121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[690],"class_list":["post-105120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-researches"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-11-03 18:48:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105120"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105128,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105120\/revisions\/105128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}