Khatereh Roohi

Khatereh received her bachelor in Chemical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Iran. Thereupon, she started her M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor specialty in Catalysis and Nano material synthesis in the same university. Her research was mainly focused on electrocatalytic advanced oxidation process for wastewater treatment.

Current Project: Metal-organic framework (MOF) catalysts for CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction

Research Summary:

Carbon dioxide (CO2), known as the greenhouse gas, is the major cause of the climate change. Currently, the global average atmospheric CO2 is 414 ppm and is higher than at any point in at least the past 800,000 years. Thus, new pathways needs to develop to reduce this amount and prevent further global warming. Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (ECO2RR) powered by renewable electricity on the surface of an electrocatalyst offers a promising approach to convert CO2 into synthetic fuels and create a carbon-neutral cycle. What this cycle needs the most is an electrocatalyst capable of breaking CO2 bonds with lowest energy demand. This PhD project focuses on two-dimensional metal organic frameworks (2D MOFs) as a new generation of electrode materials for CO2RR, as they provide a large surface area with high catalytic activity and tuneable properties. Furthermore, the project also involves DFT simulations, to understand the mechanisms of the conversion and also the behaviour of the electrode material at the molecular/atomic level.

The project is supervised by Dr. Peyman Taheri (MSE) and Prof. Arjan Mol (MSE) as the promotor. 

Selected publication:

Alavijeh, M. M., Habibzadeh, S., Roohi, K., Keivanimehr, F., Naji, L., & Ganjali, M. R. (2021). A selective and efficient precious metal-free electrocatalyst for chlorine evolution reaction: An experimental and computational study. Chemical Engineering Journal, 421, 127785.