The core interest of the Solar Coatings Group is to develop coatings that drive useful chemistry using sunlight. For these coatings to be commercially viable and sustainable, we produce them using low-cost, scalable routes using earth abundant and non-toxic materials. We are currently developing materials for renewable fuels, air remediation and water remediation.

The Solar Coatings Group is led by Dr. Andreas Kafizas, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London. Dr. Kafizas completed his MSci in Chemistry in 2007, and PhD in Chemistry in 2011 at University College London. His PhD was focused on developing photocatalytic coatings on windows, and was awarded the Ramsay Medal for best graduating doctor in his department. In 2012, he was awarded the Ramsay Memorial Fellowship to study the charge carrier dynamics of photocatalysts for solar fuels at Imperial College London. In 2016, he was awarded a Junior Research Fellowship at Imperial College London to develop photoelectrodes for solar water fuels. And in 2018, he was awarded a Lectureship at Imperial College London, and now leads the Solar Coatings Group. Dr. Kafizas is the theme lead in Sustainable Power and Renewable Fuels at the Energy Futures Lab, and is an executive board member for the London Centre for Nanotechnology. 

Dr. Kafizas has worked with a number of companies on the development of photocatalytic technologies, which include Pilkington NSG, CodiKoat and Tronox. He also regularly consults industry, and has worked with the Environmental Industries Commission to produce a review of the latest evidence of the effectiveness of photocatalytic materials and treatments in tackling local air pollution. The Solar Coatings Group also provides a service for testing photocatalytic materials for remediating NO_x pollution using their Air Pollution Simulation Chamber.

Dr. Kafizas is passionate about teaching and inclusivity. He delivers lectures at undergraduate (CHEM 50003 - Electronic States and Bonding - Group Theory; CHEM50001 - Analysis of Molecules, Materials and Mixtures - powder X-ray diffraction) and postgraduate levels (CHEM70001 - Advanced Catalysis - Advanced Photocatalysis), and trains Master's and PhD students in his research group.  He has recently completed his Postgraduate Diploma in University Learning and Teaching at Imperial College London, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He holds a Gold Award in Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) training at Imperial College London, and is the Chair of EDI at the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

 A wordcloud from the published research articles from Dr. Kafizas