Keynote, Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
Transforming CO 2 with sunlight into affordable energy for a sustainable future Vivek Polshettiwar * Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, India. Email: vivekpol@tifr.res.in The integration of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) with solar energy harvesting offers a groundbreaking strategy for combating climate change and promoting global sustainability. This keynote addresses the critical role of CO 2 utilization in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while converting waste carbon into valuable fuels and chemicals. Highlighting solar-driven processes, the discussion focuses on advanced catalytic systems, including our nanotechnology-enabled solutions like Plasmonic Black Gold and Defect Tuned catalysis, 1-10 which harness sunlight to power efficient CO 2 transformations. These innovations create a renewable energy pathway that aligns with the principles of a circular carbon economy. By bridging fundamental research and scalable applications, this transformative approach paves the way for sustainable development, showcasing how science and technology can drive a resilient, carbon-neutral future. Key words: CCU, Solar Energy, Plasmonics, Carbon Economy, Sustainability References 1. V. Polshettiwar, Acc. Chem. Res., 2022, 55, 1395. 2. M. Dhiman, A. Maity, A, Das, R. Belgamwar, B. Chalke, Y. Lee, K. Sim, J. M. Nam, V. Polshettiwar, Chemical Science 2019, 10, 6694. 3. A. K. Mishra, R. Belgamwar, R. Jana, A. Datta, V. Polshettiwar, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 2020, 117, 6383. 4. R. Belgamwar, R. Verma, T. Das, S. Chakraborty, P. Sarawade, V. Polshettiwar, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 8634. 5. A. Maity, S. Chaudhari, J. J. Titman, V. Polshettiwar, Nature Comm. 2020, 11, 3828. 6. R. Belgamwar, A. Maity, T. Das, S. Chakraborty, C. P. Vinod, V. Polshettiwar, Chemical Science, 2021, 12, 4825. 7. R. Verma, R. Belgamwar, P. Chatterjee, R. B. Vadell, J. Sá, V. Polshettiwar, ACS Nano, 2023, 17, 4526. 8. S. Singh, R. Verma, N. Kaul, J. Sa, A. Punjal, S. Prabhu, V. Polshettiwar, Nature Comm. 2023, 14, 2551. 9. G. Sharma, R. Verma, S. Masuda, K. M. Badawy, N. Singh, T. Tsukuda, V. Polshettiwar, Nature Comm. 2024, 15, 713. 10. C. Singhvi, G. Sharma, R. Verma, V. K. Paidi, P. Glatzel, P. Paciok, V. B. Patel, O. Mohan, V. Polshettiwar, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 2025, in press.
© The Author(s), 2025
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