Syntheses and Characterizations of Efficient Visible-light Driven Photocatalytic Materials

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With this project funded by the Chemical Catalysis Program, Prof. Pingyun Feng of the University of California at Riverside (UCR) will develop new visible-light-driven semiconducting heterogeneous photocatalysts for water splitting. Semiconducting materials lie at the foundation for the construction of devices for capture, conversion, and storage of solar energy. To achieve low-cost and efficient solar energy conversion, the discovery of efficient semiconductor materials and new conversion pathways is essential. The overall goal of this research is to design and synthesize efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic materials based on crystalline metal oxides while developing a solid understanding of materials-design principles such as band engineering mechanism and composition-structure-property relationship. The principal investigator (PI) will focus on developing low-cost versatile synthetic methods to synthesize photocatalytic materials with highly responsive visible-light activity. Strategies for maximizing the visible-light activity include (1) compositional and structural control to achieve band gap engineering, (2) crystallinity and morphological control to enhance efficient charge separation, and (3) optical, photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic measurements to provide guidance for further tuning and optimizing synthetic parameters.The proposed research addresses an important energy and environmental issue: the use of renewable and non-polluting energy. It aims to develop new multi-functional materials suitable for energy production and storage such as conversion of renewable solar energy to hydrogen fuel that is environmentally friendly. It will also provide a fundamental understanding of important chemical and structural factors that govern photocatalytic properties and processes. This will allow rational synthetic design and optimization of advanced materials for solar energy conversion and fuel production. Furthermore it will positively impact a very diverse student population since UCR has a large enrollment of minority students, and undergraduate research is strongly encouraged at this institution and in the PI's group. The research project combines diversity in materials synthesis and various characterization techniques and provides excellent training opportunities for students. The students' research experiences with this project can have a major impact in their scientific career in research areas of increasing importance to our society.