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

EAGER：探索亚纳米金属纳米颗粒的光催化独特性能

• 批准号: 1152732
• 负责人: Alexander Orlov
• 金额: $ 8.06万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-10-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1152732&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Exploring; unique; properties; sub

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.

摘要利用太阳光和催化剂从水中制氢是太阳能储存和转化的一个关键的理想策略。这个过程是一种人工光合作用。尽管在这一领域投入了大量的科学努力，但水裂解反应的量子效率仍然很低，这表明需要新的方法来解决这一具有挑战性的问题。纽约州立大学斯托尼布鲁克分校的研究员亚历山大奥尔洛夫曾考虑并在该地区工作，研究了一系列半导体材料，并取得了一些成功。总结观察表明，尽管La/KTaO 3和ZnS基催化剂具有可观的量子效率，但这些材料仅在紫外线辐射下具有活性，紫外线辐射仅占到达地球表面的太阳能的5%。因此，挑战仍然是利用可见光来引发水裂解反应。可见光照明的最佳QE仅为6.5%，远低于使该技术商业可行所需的10% QE。为了在这一领域取得科学突破，重要的是开发新的光催化剂方法来解决这一具有挑战性的问题。最近，PI开发了一种新的方法来合成含有少于11个原子的亚1 nm金属纳米团簇。在初步的实验中，这些纳米颗粒在各种氧化反应中表现出非凡的活性，与最活跃的市售催化剂相比。该项目现在将尝试探索这种粒子对水裂解反应的反应性。 拟议项目具有开发可持续能源生产新催化剂的巨大潜力。此外，它还将产生重大的教育影响，因为它将用于启动材料科学与工程系环境研究培训的新领域，该领域将专注于环境催化和可持续能源研究。