Researchers at Cardiff University are developing new catalysts for sustainable manufacturing processes that could accelerate efforts to combat climate change.
The team, led by Professor Stuart Taylor from the Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI) in the School of Chemistry, aims to create innovative catalysts which can convert carbon dioxide—a major greenhouse gas—into useful fuels and chemicals.
His research, enabled by an Open Plus Fellowship award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), supports the UK's ambitions toward net-zero carbon emissions and a sustainable circular economy, he says.
"This Fellowship will allow us to explore a new way of making catalysts," explains Professor Taylor, who is Managing Director of the CCI and Deputy Head of the School of Chemistry.
"By embracing disorder, we can unlock potential performance improvements that were previously out of reach, helping to turn waste carbon into valuable resources."
So, instead of releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming, our research will explore using the carbon dioxide to convert to other useful chemicals and products that are currently made from fossil fuels. In this way, we can see carbon dioxide as an opportunity to make the things we need instead of just seeing it as a problem.
Professor Taylor's work challenges traditional thinking in catalyst design.
Instead of relying on highly ordered crystalline materials, his team will harness disordered solid-state precursors created using advanced techniques such as supercritical antisolvent precipitation. These precursors can be transformed into highly active catalysts, offering new opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The team will work collaboratively with experts across the UK and internationally, and also closely with industrial partners including Johnson Matthey, Drochaid Research, and Green Fuels, ensuring that discoveries could move rapidly from the lab to real-world applications.
Dr Cathy Dwyer, Managing Director of Drochaid Research, said: "This fellowship offers a valuable opportunity for industry to support the Cardiff team as they explore new pathways for efficient CO₂ utilisation."
By combining their fundamental scientific insights with a clear understanding of what is required to scale catalyst technologies effectively, we can accelerate progress in this field.
Championing inclusivity in science
Professor Taylor's award is the first time a Cardiff University researcher has secured this highly competitive Fellowship.
Unique in its focus on high level science support, it also offers the opportunity to champion under-represented groups within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
This is something that is close to the heart of Professor Taylor who, in the early stages of his academic career became registered blind. The transition continues to present challenges, he says, though it is not something he views as a hindrance but instead a source of motivation to focus on what he can achieve.
He hopes to impart a similar ethos in the next generation of researchers by leading initiatives to make science more accessible for underrepresented groups, particularly those with visual impairments, creating opportunities for young learners and promoting inclusive practices across academia and industry.
"This Fellowship is about more than catalyst science—it's about turning challenges into opportunities," Professor Taylor explains.
Losing my sight early in my career taught me resilience and creativity, qualities that now shape both my research and my commitment to inclusion. Just as we aim to transform CO₂ from a problem into a resource, I want to help transform perceptions of who can thrive in STEM.
