Professor
Office: CHBE 219
Email: fariborz.taghipour@ubc.ca
Website: light.chbe.ubc.ca
Research Summary
Artificial Photosynthesis, Solar Fuels, UV Photoreactors, Photo-Activated Sensors & Biosensors, Modeling of Chemical and Biochemical Reactors, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Research interests + projects
Research interests
Hello! Welcome to my web page at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia. We are creating photochemical materials, technologies, and devices for energy and environmental applications. The broad impact of our research is evident from intellectual property generation, technology transfer, innovative product development, and the launch of a cleantech company that is benefiting people living around the world.
Specific research areas include:
Photo-activated Sensors & Biosensors: Our research is about transforming any smartphone/smartwatch to a biosensor for health monitoring and a sensor for environmental monitoring. We are advancing the science of photo-activated sensing materials by modulating the size, morphology, and composition of materials on the nanoscale. Utilizing new sensing materials, image-based sensing technology, and artificial intelligence, we develop biosensors for monitoring health and sensors for tracking water and air quality.
Photoreactors for Water & Air Purification: Ultraviolet (UV) photonics, photoreactions, and photoreactors are essential to many technologies and industries. We are developing novel materials and devices operating with UV light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) and microplasma UV—the emerging UV technology stars. The primary emphasis is to formulate the next generation of UV photolytic and photocatalytic reactors for water and air purification.
Artificial Photosynthesis & Solar Fuels: Artificial photosynthesis involves capturing energy from the sun and storing it in the form of chemical fuels. The focus of this research is to create engineered solar fuel generators for the photocatalytic production of hydrogen and value-added chemicals. We design photoelectrochemical cells and multifunctional photocatalysts for fuel generation by water splitting and carbon dioxide conversion.
Computational Modeling of Chemical & Biological Systems: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) plays a significant role in the study of chemical and biological systems. We integrate fundamental physical models with CFD to create chemical and biological reactor performance models for virtual prototyping and design optimization.
Scholarly and professional activities + affiliations
Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory
Selected publications + presentations
Mohaghegh Montazeri M, Taghipour, F. (2023) Virtual prototyping and characterization of a point-of-entry UV-LED water disinfection reactor with the synergic effect of radiation, hydrodynamics, and inactivation kinetics, Water Res. 230, 119581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.119581
Wusiman M., Taghipour, F. (2022) Methods and Mechanisms of Gas Sensor Selectivity. Crit. Rev. Solid State Mater. Sci. 47, 416–435. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408436.2021.1941752
Lo, A.Y., Taghipour, F. (2021) Ordered Mesoporous Photocatalysts for CO2 Photoreduction. J. Mater. Chem. A. 9, 26430-26453. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1TA05643C
Taleghani N., Taghipour F. (2021) Diagnosis of COVID-19 for controlling the pandemic: A review of the state-of-the-art. Biosens. Bioelectron. 147, 112830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112830
Raeiszadeh M., Taghipour F. (2020) Inactivation of microorganisms by newly emerged microplasma UV lamps. Chem. Eng. J. 431, 127490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.127490
20+ granted and pending patents just in the past five years that are the basis of several commercial products; including: US10,293,072, US10,640,397, US10,829,394, US11,154,836, PCT/CA2018/050879, PCT/CA2020/050155, PCT/CA2020/050877, PCT/CA2020/051451, etc.