The Development and Applications of Novel, Hybrid Niobium Pentoxide Nanocomposites in Photocatalysis

由于铌（Nb）和>的高丰度占加拿大和巴西联合发现的全球铌总产量的99%，寻找铌基材料的新应用，通过创造新的合作市场和技术，使两国经济受益。也就是说，多相催化是特别有趣的，因为Nb2O5的显着的化学多功能性不仅允许用作众所周知的Bronsted和Lewis酸催化剂，而且还提供了开发其尚未研究的光催化和超分子性质的机会。******贵金属纳米颗粒，特别是金（AuNP），在许多有机反应中作为催化剂引起了人们的关注。最近的工作主要集中在光化学生成AuNP，从而产生具有优异稳定性和小尺寸分布的纳米材料，非常适合催化测试。代替典型的台式催化，利用AuNP的表面共振特性为研究各种有机反应的催化提供了机会，使用“更环保”的光化学方法，并引入可见光作为一个完整的反应参与者。AuNP在电磁波谱的可见区域具有易于识别的吸收，称为表面等离子体带（SPB）。SPB - AuNP激发已被证明可以通过纳米颗粒表面的局部加热以及电子转移途径诱导催化反应。该研究旨在利用氧化铌和氧化铌盐的光催化能力作为二氧化钛衍生催化剂的潜在光催化替代品。虽然仍然能够在光谱的紫外区域内被激发，但用AuNP修饰铌酸盐半导体支撑对于潜在地改善光诱导还原性能是有吸引力的。将AuNP掺入铌酸盐结构将把光的吸收扩展到电磁波谱的可见区域，包括太阳能的吸收（这是节能措施非常需要的特性），并且还可以通过最大化光诱导电荷分离来改善纳米材料本身的光催化性能。此外，在层状铌酸盐主客体体系上支持的AuNP的固有光催化特性也可能对新型储能敏化材料的开发具有相当大的兴趣。这些独特的超分子结构可用于研究分子约束对催化反应的影响，也有利于研究铌酸盐衍生的超分子载体的电子传输能力，有利于能量存储/转换和可再生能源的研究。最重要的是，这项研究将检查丰富的，独特的加拿大，全球资源的光诱导化学性质。**************

Due to the high abundance of niobium (Nb) and >99% of the total worldwide Nb production found jointly between Canada and Brazil, finding new applications for niobium-based materials benefits both economies by creating new collaborative markets and technologies. Namely, heterogeneous catalysis is of particular interest as the remarkable chemical versatility of Nb2O5 allows for use not only as well-known Bronsted and Lewis acid catalysts, but also presents an opportunity for development of its understudied photocatalytic and supramolecular properties.******Noble metal nanoparticles, in particular gold (AuNP), have garnished attention as catalysts in a number of organic reactions. Recent work has focused on the photochemical generation of AuNP, resulting in nanomaterials with exceptional stability and small size distribution, ideal for catalytic testing. In lieu of typical, bench-top catalysis, exploitation of the surface resonance properties of AuNP presents the opportunity to study the catalysis of various organic reactions, using "greener" photochemical methodologies and introducing visible light as an integral reaction participant. AuNP possess an easily identifiable absorption in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, termed the surface plasmon band (SPB). SPB AuNP excitation has been shown to induce catalytic reactions by way of localized heating of the nanoparticle surface, as well as electron transfer pathways.*** ***The proposed research aims to draw on the suggested photocatalytic abilities of niobium oxide and niobium oxide salts as potential photocatalytic alternatives to TiO2-derived catalysts. Though still able to be excited within the UV region of the spectrum, modifying niobate semiconductor supports with AuNP is attractive for potentially improved photo-induced reduction performance. AuNP incorporation into the niobate structure will extend the absorption of light into the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum to include that of solar energy (a highly desired property for energy conservation measures), and may also be used to improve the photocatalytic properties of the nanomaterial itself by maximizing photoinduced charge separation. Moreover, the intrinsic photocatalytic characteristics of AuNP supported on layered niobate guest-host systems may also be of considerable interest in regards to the development of novel sensitized materials for energy storage.  These unique supramolecular structures may be useful for examining the effects of molecular confinement on catalytic reactions and also be beneficial towards investigating the electron transport capabilities of supramolecular niobate-derived supports, favorable in energy storage/conversion and renewable energy research.  Most importantly, this research will examine the light-induced chemical properties of an abundant, and uniquely Canadian, global resource.**************