Research keywords

Photocatalysis; redox catalysis; molecular catalysis (homogeneous and supported); CO₂ conversion; solar fules; spectroscopy

Current research

His current research interests include photoinduced electron and proton-coupled electron transfers as well as photoinduced catalysis with molecule and materials, with a special focus on CO₂ conversion to solar fuels.

Scientific career

Julien Bonin pursued his graduate studies at the Université Paris-Sud XI, Orsay (now Université Paris-Saclay) where he obtained his Ph.D. in 2005 in the field of Molecular Physical Chemistry, working with Prof. Mehran Mostafavi on the femtosecond spectroscopy of solvated electrons.

He then moved to the Radiation Laboratory of the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA) for a year, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, working on the study of hydroxyl radical reactivity in supercritical water by pulse radiolysis with Prof. David M. Bartels.

In 2006, he joined the Laboratoire d’Electrochimie Moléculaire (LEM) at Université Paris VII Denis Diderot (now Université Paris Cité) as an Associate Professor. He has been a Visiting Scientist at the Chemistry Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) during the spring of 2010, working with Prof. Daniel G. Nocera.

He obtained his Research Habilitation (HDR) in 2016 and became a full Professor in 2021.

He was Director of Studies of the Bachelor of Chemistry (400+ students) at Université Paris Cité (2012-2024) and Deputy Director of the Laboratoire d’Electrochimie Moléculaire (2020-2024).

Starting September 2024, he is a Professor at Sorbonne Université, at the Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, in the molecular electrochemistry and catalysis (eMOCA) research group.

Since July 2022, he is the President of the Education Division of the French Chemical Society.

Selected publications (2014-2024)

• Best Practices for Experiments and Reporting in Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction, M. Bonchio, J. Bonin, O. Ishitani, T.-B. Lu, T. Morikawa, A. J. Morris, E. Reisner, D. Sarkar, F. M. Toma, M. Robert, Nat. Catal. 6, 657-665, 2023
• Heterogenization of molecular cobalt catalysts in robust metal-organic frameworks for efficient photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, S. Parshamoni, C. Viravaux, M.Robert, C. Mellot-Draznieks, G. Chen, P. Mialane, A. Dolbecq, J. Bonin, Catal. Sci. Technol. 12, 5418-5424,  2022
• Highlights and Challenges in the Selective CO₂ Reduction to Methanol, S. Navarro-Jaén, M. Virginie, J. Bonin, M. Robert, R. Wojcieszak, A. Y. Khodakov, Nat. Rev. Chem. 5, 564-579, 2021
• Hybridization of Molecular and Graphene Materials for CO₂ Photocatalytic Reduction with Selectivity Control, B. Ma, M. Blanco, L. Calvillo, L. Chen, G. Chen, T.-C. Lau, G. Dražić, J. Bonin, M. Robert, G. Granozzi, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 143 (22), 8414-8425, 2021
• CO₂ Reduction to Methanol with a Molecular Cobalt Catalyst Loaded Porous Carbon Electrode Assisted by a CIGS Photovoltaic Cell, R. Wang, E. Boutin, N. Barreau, F. Odobel, J. Bonin, M. Robert, ChemPhotoChem 5 (8), 705-710, 2021
• Efficient Visible-Light Driven CO₂ Reduction by a Cobalt Molecular Catalyst Covalently Linked to Mesoporous Carbon Nitride, B. Ma, G. Chen, C. Fave, L. Chen, R. Kuriki, K. Maeda, O. Ishitani, T.-C. Lau, J. Bonin, M. Robert, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142 (13), 6188-6195, 2020
• Visible-Light-Driven Conversion of CO₂ to CH₄ with an Organic Sensitizer and an Iron Porphyrin Catalyst, H. Rao, C.-H. Lim, J. Bonin G. M. Miyake and M. Robert, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 140 (51), 17830-17834, 2018
• Visible-light Driven Methane Formation from CO₂ with a Molecular Iron Catalyst, H. Rao, L. C. Schmidt, J. Bonin, M. Robert, Nature 548, 74-77, 2017
• Molecular Catalysis of the Electrochemical and Photochemical Reduction of CO₂ with Earth Abundant Metal Complexes. Selective Production of CO vs HCOOH by Switching of the Metal Center, L. Chen, Z. Guo, X.-G. Wei, C. Gallenkamp, J. Bonin, E. Anxolabéhère-Mallart, K.-C. Lau, T.-C. Lau, M. Robert, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137 (34), 10918-10924, 2015
• Homogeneous Photocatalytic Reduction of CO₂ to CO Using Iron(0) Porphyrin Catalysts: Mechanism and Intrinsic Limitations, J. Bonin, M. Chaussemier, M. Robert, M. Routier, ChemCatChem 6 (11), 3200-3207, 2014