Novel Hybrid Nanoscale Photocatalysts for Solar to Fuel Conversion

Yuexing Chen, Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion

Abstract:

Semiconductor-based photocatalysis has gained tremendous attention as a sustainable strategy for solar energy harvesting and storage in the form of renewable fuel. The photocatalytic efficiency of semiconductor hybrids relies on the design of the semiconductor at nanoscale. Among various nanostructures, one-dimensional (1D) semiconductor heterostructures with unique optical, structural, and electronic advantages offer a highly controllable platform for light-induced charge separation with direct relevance for their implementation in photocatalytic solar energy conversion. However, reasonably synthesizing of 1D heterostructures with well-designed charge separation in an affordable and scalable manner remains a challenging task. Meanwhile, our research group achieved nearly perfect 100% photocatalytic photon to hydrogen conversion by using Pt tipped CdSe@CdS seeded nanorod (SR), while the effect speeding up hole migration would further make the dream of renewable energy by the photocatalytic system much more a reality. Herein, the focus of this seminar is on the exploration of a gallery of 1D novel nano heterostructures that improving charge separation for solar energy conversion in terms of cost, convenience, and reliability by the strategies of spatially separated catalytic sites, coherent interface charge transfer, coupling with oxygen evolution photocatalysts (OEP) and introducing redox shuttles. This seminar will introduce shape tunable metallic copper (non-noble metal) nanocrystal at the tip of cadmium chalcogenide nanorods, combination between OEP with Pt tipped SR to speed up electron-hole transfer and CdS nanowires with selective catalytic sites for photocatalytic H2 evolution.

References

[1] Kalisman, P.; Nakibli, Y.; Amirav, L. Nano Lett 2016, 16 (3), 1776–1781.

[2] Y. Chen, M. Ma, J. Hu, Z. Chen, L. Amirav, et al., Appl. Catal. B Environ. 324 (2023) 122300.

[3] Y. Chen, K. Dong, L. Amirav, Chem. Mater. 34(21) (2022) 9373-9383.

[4] Y. Chen, L. Amirav, Chem. Sci., 2023, DOI: 10.1039/D3SC00677H.