Photocatalytic Approaches to Hydrogen Production from Water

化学催化方案支持费利克斯·N·卡斯特拉诺教授研究从水中光催化制氢的多相和均相方法。这项工作旨在研究高度分散的金属铂和钯纳米颗粒修饰的二氧化钛(Ti02)材料的光化学制备、表征和光催化性能。在空穴清除剂存在的情况下，在水溶液中使用带隙激发来评价光催化性能，在类似的可见光敏化材料中，在适当的牺牲电子给体存在下，使用选择性表面结合的Ru(II)和Os(II)配合物来评价光催化性能。各种钴化合物在水溶液中与带电的二氧化钛一起测试它们的产氢能力。均相光催化方案利用还原猝灭途径，最近导致了催化转化率的显著提高。在这些均质方案中使用替代牺牲电子给体导致了前所未有的催化转换率，同时大大扩大了潜在有用的敏化剂的库存。该项目涉及跨学科研究，有助于将太阳光转化为环境友好、无碳的可燃化学燃料的基本知识基础。本研究项目中考虑的光催化系统提供了比其他系统更好的原子经济性和更高效率的潜力。该项目促进了本科生和研究生以及博士后助理和来访科学家的科学和专业教育。卡斯特拉诺教授参与了各种K-12 STEM教育活动，包括托莱多的想象站和在保龄球馆校园举行的一年一度的“高中科学日”。

The Chemical Catalysis Program supports the efforts of Professor Felix N. Castellano for the investigation of both heterogeneous and homogeneous approaches to photocatalytic hydrogen production from water. The effort targets the photochemical preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) materials decorated with highly dispersed metallic platinum and palladium nanoparticles. Photocatalysis is evaluated in aqueous solutions using bandgap excitation in the presence of hole scavengers and in the analogous visible-light sensitized materials using select surface bound ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) complexes in the presence of appropriate sacrificial electron donors. Various cobalt compounds are tested for their hydrogen-producing ability in concert with "charged" TiO2 in aqueous solutions. Homogeneous photocatalysis schemes exploit reductive quenching pathways that have recently led to significant enhancements in catalytic turnovers. The use of alternative sacrificial electron donors in these homogeneous schemes has led to unprecedented catalytic turnovers while greatly expanding the inventory of potentially useful sensitizers. This project addresses interdisciplinary research that contributes to the fundamental knowledge base of converting solar light to an environmentally-friendly, non-carbon based, combustible chemical fuel. The photocatalytic systems considered in this research project offer better atom economies and the potential for much higher efficiencies than other systems. The project fosters the scientific and professional education of undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral associates and visiting scientists. Professor Castellano participates in various K-12 STEM education efforts including the Imagination Station of Toledo and the annual "High School Science Days" that take place on the Bowling Green campus.