Multiferroic nanostructured oxides for solar fuel generation

将太阳能经济地转化为化学燃料是以可持续方式满足未来能源需求的最有前途的途径之一。太阳能发电依赖于半导体材料对太阳光能量的有效吸收和转换。控制和开发独特和定制的纳米结构体系结构，同时防止使用极性半导体的光催化活性退化，可能会带来重大的技术利益，并最终实现高效和具有成本效益的太阳能转换。极性多铁性陶瓷可以促进光激发载流子的有效分离和输运。特别令人感兴趣的是这些极性陶瓷的独特复合纳米结构，其可以阻止体相和表面复合途径，从而导致整体太阳能到燃料转换效率的显着提高。本计画将研究利用低温微波水热法合成及加工多铁性陶瓷材料的奈米结构，并探讨制程参数对人工光合作用系统中光触媒效能的影响。在这项工作中进行的详细调查将有助于发展的基本理解的作用，偏振和纳米结构体系结构的性能粉末为基础的系统。这将显著影响并加速此类系统在可持续燃料发电的实际应用中的利用。

The economic conversion of solar energy into chemical fuels is one of the most promising paths to meet the future energy demand in a sustainable manner. Solar-driven energy generation relies on the efficient absorption and conversion of the energy of the sunlight by a semiconductor material. Control and development of unique and tailored nanostructured architectures whilst preventing the degradation of photocatalytic activity using polar semiconductors could lead to major technological benefits and ultimately efficient and cost-effective conversion of solar energy. Polar multiferroic ceramics can promote efficient separation and transport of photoexcited charge carriers. Of particular interest is unique composite nanostructures of these polar ceramics that could prohibit bulk and surface recombination pathways hence leading to significant improvements in overall solar to fuel conversion efficiency. This project will investigate synthesis and processing of controlled nanostructures of multiferroic ceramic materials using low temperature microwave hydrothermal methods and examine the effect of processing parameters on photocatalytic performance in a particulate-based artificial photosynthesis system. The detailed investigation carried out in this work will contribute to the development of fundamental understanding of the role of polarisation and nanostructure architecture in the performance of powder based systems. This will significantly impact and accelerate the utilisation of such systems in practical applications of sustainable fuel generation.