Photocatalyst for H2 productions: in operando atomic studies

用于氢气生产的光催化剂：在操作原子研究中

• 批准号: 2887557
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of York
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2887557
• 关键词: Photocatalyst; H2; productions; operando; atomic

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) plays a critical role in advanced technologies for green energy and a clean environment. As a photocatalyst TiO2 is used in several applications, including gas pollutant removal ie NOx and CO2, wastewater remediation, and recently as an antiviral and antibacterial agent. TiO2 satisfies all the main criteria for use at large-scale; it is cheap, non-toxic and environmentally friendly, as well as structurally stable and abundant. Besides these advantages, the main challenge of TiO2 as a photocatalyst for H2 production is the low efficiency due to limited light absorption and rapid e-/h+ recombination. This project aims to address these challenges of using TiO2 for H2 production (1) control of nanoparticle size and crystallinity, (2) surface and morphology modifications by addition of cocatalysts.The transformative potential of this project consists of the combination of synthesis /growth of TiO2 nanoparticles and films, modelling of electronic and optical properties, and state-of-the-art in- operando and in-situ atomic level characterisation that would be performed by utilising the environmental aberration-corrected TEM capability at the York-JEOL Nanocentre, which is a novelty. The latter supports the introduction of gas and/or light allowing nanoscale imaging and spectroscopy. This highly innovative approach, and will be undertaken for the first time, with the objectives of (1) enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2-cocatalyst systems by improving light absorption and (2) understanding the mechanisms/structures that lead to improved catalyst/cocatalyst systems.The prospective student will be trained and take an integral part in synthesis, atomic-level characterisation as well as modelling. This will allow the student to be involved in all aspects of the project, from designing experiments to sophisticated data analysis supported by quantum mechanical calculations. This approach will produce a well-rounded researcher in the field of H2 production, an important venue for meeting Net Zero targets.

二氧化钛 (TiO2) 在绿色能源和清洁环境的先进技术中发挥着关键作用。作为光催化剂，TiO2 可用于多种应用，包括去除气体污染物（即氮氧化物和二氧化碳）、废水修复以及最近作为抗病毒和抗菌剂。 TiO2 满足大规模使用的所有主要标准；它价格便宜、无毒、环保、结构稳定、来源丰富。除了这些优点之外，TiO2 作为光催化剂用于制氢的主要挑战是由于有限的光吸收和快速的 e-/h+ 复合而导致效率低。该项目旨在解决使用 TiO2 生产氢气的这些挑战（1）控制纳米颗粒尺寸和结晶度，（2）通过添加助催化剂进行表面和形态修饰。该项目的变革潜力包括 TiO2 纳米颗粒和薄膜的合成/生长、电子和光学特性建模以及最先进的现场和原位原子水平的组合 表征将通过利用约克-日本电子纳米中心的环境像差校正 TEM 功能来进行，这是一项新颖的技术。后者支持气体和/或光的引入，允许纳米级成像和光谱学。这种高度创新的方法将首次采用，其目标是 (1) 通过改善光吸收来增强 TiO2-助催化剂系统的光催化活性，以及​​ (2) 了解改进催化剂/助催化剂系统的机制/结构。未来的学生将接受培训，并参与合成、原子级表征以及建模。这将使学生参与该项目的各个方面，从设计实验到量子力学计算支持的复杂数据分析。这种方法将在氢气生产领域培养出一名全面的研究人员，这是实现净零目标的重要场所。