Light, chemistry and energy: a 20-year journey across sustainable concepts and approaches

The investigation of fundamental phenomena in photochemistry and photophysics (e.g., energy transfer, electron transfer, luminescence) is a privileged path to explore a variety of molecules, supermolecules and materials of wide (and sometimes unexpected) interest in the area of sustainable chemistry. In this lecture, I will give an overview of some key findings of my research over 20 years, outlining future perspectives. I will focus in particular on carbon nanomaterials for solar energy conversion (1-3), luminescent complexes and materials for lighting devices (4,5) and photocatalysis (6), copper complexes as alternatives to related materials based on rare and expensive elements (7). Key bottlenecks on the path of the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables will also be highlighted (8). 1.T. Mileti?, E. Pavoni, V. Trifiletti, A. Rizzo, A. Listorti, S. Colella, N. Armaroli, D. Bonifazi?ACS Appl. Mater. Inter., 2016, 8, 27966. 2.K. Yoosaf, J. Iehl, I. Nierengarten, M. Hmadeh, A. M. Albrecht-Gary, J. F. Nierengarten, N. Armaroli?Chem.-Eur. J., 2014, 20, 223. 3.G. Accorsi, N. Armaroli J. Phys. Chem. C, 2010, 114, 1385. 4.F. Monti, A. Baschieri, E. Matteucci, A. Mazzanti, L. Sambri, A. Barbieri, N. Armaroli?Faraday Discuss., 2015, 185, 233. 5.R. D. Costa, E. Orti, H. J. Bolink, F. Monti, G. Accorsi, N. Armaroli Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2012, 51, 8178. 6.A. Gualandi, E. Matteucci, F. Monti, A. Baschieri, N. Armaroli, L. Sambri, P. G. Cozzi?Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 1613. 7.N. Armaroli Chem. Soc. Rev., 2001, 30, 113. 8.N. Armaroli, V. Balzani Chem.-Eur. J., 2016, 22, 32.