Tiny ‘lab-on-a-chip’ devices that recreate chemical reactions and allow scientists to observe these previously hidden processes are being developed at the University of Surrey, helping to speed up the development of cleaner fuels and energy technologies.
The miniature systems use renewable electricity to drive reactions, with early applications focused on converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into useful fuels and chemicals such as sustainable aviation fuels, ethanol and ethylene – a key building block in plastics and other industrial materials.
Although CO₂ is widely seen as a major contributor to climate change, researchers are increasingly exploring how to capture and reuse it as a valuable resource. However, the chemistry behind these processes is highly complex, making optimisation slow and heavily dependent on traditional trial-and-error methods.
The Surrey-developed devices offer a more precise approach, recreating these processes inside miniature electrochemical systems and revealing how the chemistry unfolds in a highly controlled environment.
Built-in sensors track reactions in real time, while analytical tools generate large volumes of high-quality experimental data, recording electrical signals, chemical changes and reaction conditions simultaneously. Researchers can then use AI to spot patterns in this data, helping to guide future experiments and improving performance more efficiently.
This level of insight could significantly accelerate the discovery of new materials – reducing both the cost and time needed to develop next-generation technologies for CO₂ conversion, hydrogen production, batteries and fuel cells.
Dr Kai Yang, Lecturer in Energy Materials and Nanotechnology at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), who is leading the research, said:
“Rising CO₂ emissions are a major driver of climate change, but they also represent an untapped resource. The CO₂ utilisation market is projected to exceed £24 billion by 2030, so the value of these technologies is clear.
“Our chip-based devices give us a window into processes that were previously hidden, helping us understand complex chemical systems faster, more clearly and with greater confidence.”
While Surrey researchers are initially focusing on CO₂ conversion, the technology has far wider potential. The same sensing platforms could be used to advance a range of sustainable technologies, including batteries, hydrogen systems, ammonia production and environmental monitoring.
Dr Lei Xing, Lecturer in Digital Chemical Engineering at Surrey and Fellow of the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, who is a co-lead on the project, said:
“The real breakthrough comes from combining physics-based modelling with data-driven AI. The chip-based systems generate rich experimental data, while physics models describe how these reactions should behave. By bringing the two together, AI can learn from both theory and experiment – refining models, filling in gaps, and quickly identifying the most promising conditions.
“This approach moves us beyond traditional trial-and-error, significantly accelerating the optimisation of CO2 conversion processes and the development of more efficient technologies.”
The research is already attracting early commercial interest, with the Surrey team exploring potential industry applications, including collaboration with companies working in battery materials and energy systems.
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