Photocatalytic Approaches to Hydrogen Production from Water

化学催化项目支持Felix N. Castellano教授对多相和均相光催化制氢方法的研究。这项工作的目标是用高度分散的金属铂和钯纳米粒子装饰二氧化钛（TiO2）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和光催化作用进行了评估，在类似的可见光敏化材料中使用选择的表面结合的钌（II）和锇（II）配合物在适当的牺牲电子供体存在的情况下进行了评估。在水溶液中测试了各种钴化合物与“带电”TiO2的产氢能力。均相光催化方案利用还原性猝灭途径，最近导致催化周转率显著增强。在这些均相方案中使用替代牺牲电子供体导致了前所未有的催化周转，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，为将太阳能转化为环保、非碳基、可燃化学燃料的基础知识基础做出贡献。本研究项目中考虑的光催化系统提供了更好的原子经济性和比其他系统更高效率的潜力。该项目促进本科生、研究生、博士后和访问科学家的科学和专业教育。Castellano教授参与了各种K-12 STEM教育工作，包括托莱多的想象站和每年在鲍灵格林校园举行的“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.