EAGER: Exploring unique properties of sub-nm metal nanoparticles for photocatalysis

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ABSTRACTProducing hydrogen from water using sunlight and catalysts is a key desirable strategy for solar energy storage and conversion. The process is a form of artificial photosynthesis. Despite significant scientific efforts invested in this field, the quantum efficiency of the water splitting reaction remains low, indicating that new approaches are needed to address this challenging problem. Investigator Alexander Orlov of SUNY at Stony Brook, NY has considered and worked in the area, investigating a series of semiconductor materials, with some success. Summary observations indicate that despite a respectable quantum efficiency of La/KTaO3 and ZnS based catalysts, these materials are only active under UV radiation, which represents only 5% of the solar energy reaching the earths surface. Therefore, the challenge remains to utilize visible light to initiate the water splitting reaction. The best QE for visible light photocatalysis is only 6.5%, which is significantly below the 10% QE necessary to make this technology commercially viable. In order to achieve a scientific breakthrough in this area, it is important to develop new photocatalyst approaches to address this challenging problem. Recently the PI has developed a new procedure for synthesis of sub-1 nm metal nanoclusters containing less than 11 atoms. In preliminary experiments these nanoparticles have exhibited an extraordinary activity in various oxidation reactions as compared to the most active commercially available catalysts. This project will now attempt to explore the reactivity of such particles for the water splitting reaction. The proposed project has a significant potential to develop new catalysts for sustainable energy generation. In addition, it will also have a substantial educational impact, as it will be used to start a new area of environmental research training at the Materials Science and Engineering Department, which will be focused on environmental catalysis and sustainable energy research.