The Syzygy photocatalytic platform

Our photoreactor technology is the culmination of more than 30 years of plasmonics and nanotechnology research out of Rice University. Our combination of reactor design and photocatalytic nanoparticles enable light-driven chemical reactions at unprecedented efficiency. These disruptive innovations eliminate the need for combustion in the chemical reaction chain, enabling the production of zero-emission hydrogen, green ammonia, and other foundational chemicals. Our photoreactors are even capable of processing harmful carbon dioxide into high-value feedstocks like methanol, syngas, and formic acid.

Breakthrough science

This technology became a reality when researchers discovered they could convert traditional catalysts used in the chemical industry into high-performance photocatalysts that are energized by light instead of heat. Replacing traditional thermal catalysts with photocatalysts not only removes combustion, but also increases efficiency.

Graphic comparing traditional thermal reactors to photoreactor technology.
Microscopic image of photocatalyst nanoparticles.

With proprietary technology and processes, our scientists manufacture different photocatalysts to support multiple foundational chemical reactions. But the core science is the same regardless of catalyst and the desired reaction.

Each photocatalyst consists of tiny catalyst nanoparticles embedded in the surface of a larger plasmonic nanoparticle. Through plasmonics, the larger nanoparticle transfers light energy to the tiny catalyst structures and in so doing makes or breaks chemical bonds to cause chemical reactions.

 

Breakthrough engineering

Render of a photoreactor

After the first photoreactor prototype was designed and successfully tested in 2018, we knew we had something special. We accelerated reactor design, attacking and meeting challenges head on. As we progressed, the reactors grew in size, efficiency, and output. The result is an electrified, highly efficient, low-cost photocatalytic reactor. It has no equal anywhere in the world.

Our current reactor design eliminates combustion by energizing the photocatalyst with LED light from renewable electricity. Because the reactor uses light instead of heat, we are able to focus the energy (LED light) exactly where it is needed, making the chemical reaction much more efficient than a conventional reaction powered by heat.

 

Disruptive by definition

Light-driven chemistry has already changed chemical engineering. But we are still in the early stages of realizing the full impact. It has the potential to liberate the hard-to-abate chemical industry from its reliance on combustion.

Photo of engineer working through photoreactor technology calculations.

With Syzygy photoreactors, industry now has a cost-effective way to stop burning fossil fuels to drive chemical reactions. That means we have an affordable option for preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.

  • Reduce emissions. Zero-emission operation eliminates combustion from the process, removing emissions currently produced to power traditional chemical reactors.

  • Control OPEX. Highly efficient LED-photocatalyst reactions and low-cost renewable electricity enable low operating expenses, making this technology incredibly cost-competitive to run over time.

  • Lower CAPEX. Using low-cost materials (aluminum and glass) and eliminating the need to process flue gas reduces capital expenditures, making photoreactors an affordable decarbonization pathway.