Development of Hybrid Nanomaterials and Nanostructures for Plasmon-Enhanced Applications

有效采用可持续能源和实现更好的环境被列为主要的全球挑战。太阳能转化为电能是满足人类日益增长的、迫切的能源需求而又不会对环境造成不利影响的最可行的途径。另一方面，通过太阳能光催化有效去除废水中的污染物具有重要的环境意义。尽管如此，实现低成本、高效率的光伏（PV）设备（将允许其在全球范围内大规模实施）和有效地收集用于光催化的太阳能仍然是非常具有挑战性的。纳米材料（尺寸尺度：1-100纳米）以其独特的特性为解决紧迫的能源和环境问题提供了新的途径。特别是量子点和光催化纳米结构，分别在光伏和光催化方面具有很高的应用潜力。另一方面，等离子体纳米结构（如Au和2）合理设计等离子体纳米结构，实现等离子体/半导体催化剂结构，以开发宽带（uv - nir），高效的光催化系统并了解确切的机制。本研究将有助于开发出具有优异光电性能和光催化性能的新型纳米杂化体，并增加我们对等离子体增强光电和光催化的多个方面的认识。它不仅可以为技术突破铺平道路，还可以促进培养高素质人才，以应对现代社会的科技挑战。

Efficient adoption of sustainable energy and realization of better environments are listed as major global challenges. Solar energy conversion to electricity is the most feasible approach to meet the ever increasing, urgent energy demand of humanity without adverse environmental impacts. On the other hand, effective removal of pollutants from waste water via solar photocatalysis is of significant environmental importance. Nonetheless, achieving low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) devices (which will allow their large scale implementation worldwide) and efficiently harvesting solar energy for photocatalysis remain very challenging. Nanomaterials (size scale: 1-100 nm) with their novel properties unique to matter of such dimensions are offering new ways to address pressing energy and environment issues. In particular, quantum dots (QDs) and catalytic nanostructures, hold high potential for PV and photocatalysis applications, respectively. On the other hand, plasmonic nanostructures (e.g. Au and 2) rationally design plasmonic nanostructures and realize plasmon/semiconductor-catalyst architectures in order to develop broadband (UV-to-NIR), high-efficiency photocatalysis systems and understand exact mechanism(s).The proposed research will lead to the development of new nanohybrids with excellent performance in PVs and photocatalysis and increase our knowledge on multiple aspects of plasmon enhanced PVs and photocatalysis. Not only can it pave the way to technological breakthroughs, it will also promote the training of highly qualified personnel to respond to the scientific and technological challenges of our modern society.