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紧迫能源需求而又不对环境产生不利影响的最可行方法。另一方面，通过太阳能电池从废水中有效去除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（这将允许它们在全球范围内大规模实施）和有效地收集太阳能用于光伏发电仍然非常具有挑战性。纳米材料（尺寸比例：1-100纳米）具有此类尺寸物质所特有的新颖性质，为解决紧迫的能源和环境问题提供了新的方法。特别是，量子点（QD）和催化纳米结构，持有高潜力的光伏和光伏应用，分别。另一方面，等离子体纳米结构（例如，Au和2）合理地设计等离子体纳米结构并实现等离子体/激发子-催化剂架构，以开发宽带（UV至NIR），高效的自动化系统和了解精确的机制。拟议的研究将导致开发新的纳米杂化材料，在PV和PV中具有优异的性能，并增加我们对等离子体激元多个方面的知识增强的肺静脉和动脉压。它不仅可以为技术突破铺平道路，还将促进培养高素质人才，以应对现代社会的科学和技术挑战。

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.