Supported nanoalloys for sustainable hydrogen production

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This project is envisaged to create a holistic approach linking together sustainable fabrication of metal containing materials for a range of applications, focussing on photocatalytic hydrogen generation considered the "oil of tomorrow". Our ambition is to dramatically reduce the dependency on rare metals in hydrogen technology, either by replacing them with more abundant elements (e.g. Pt for Ni) or by reducing their use to the absolute minimum required, through the innovation in the science of metal nanoalloys (MNA). To achieve this transformative change, we will open up new areas of science by (i) providing scalable routes to MNA fabrication with atomically precise structure and composition using the magnetron sputtering facilities in Nottingham (ii) investigating the optical and electronic properties of the materials produced under in situ conditions (light and water vapour) via Near-Ambient XPS (iii) harnessing functional properties of MNC in the photocatalytic production of hydrogen using sunlight.Deliverables:-Fabrication of novel heterogeneous photocatalysts based on supported MNAs with atomically precise size and composition (e.g., Pt & Ni, Co, or Cu bimetallic nanoalloys). -Atomic-level understanding of the MNA surface dynamics under ex-situ and in-situ conditions. -Highly efficient materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production with potential to attract industry attention (e.g., JM) as materials synthesis is easy to scale up.