Tailoring unsupported nanoreactors: role of confinement in biomimetic systems

最有效的催化反应是在体内观察到的，在酶催化反应中。开发仿生系统，再现其生物对应物的物理特性和功能，同时提高其在各种环境条件下的稳定性，将开辟许多应用领域，特别是在可再生能源生产领域。本研究计划旨在了解纳米结构中约束效应的物理性质，并将金属纳米团簇作为催化剂的效率与约束增强的反应性相结合，开发模拟生物反应器。在此表征之后，将开发用于燃料电池技术的水环境中量身定制的无支撑纳米反应器，改善反应物与高活性Pt纳米催化剂的接触，并通过一系列能够有效吸附太阳光谱宽波长范围的纳米反应器进行人工光合作用。在这项研究中获得的见解不仅将对人工催化剂的环境友好合成及其应用产生重大影响，而且作为一个模型系统，它还将为影响生物系统在体内无法达到的效率的单个因素提供宝贵的信息。

The most efficient catalytic reactions are observed in vivo, in enzyme catalysed reactions. Developing biomimetic systems reproducing the physical properties and function of their biological counterpart while improving the stability under a variety of environmental conditions would open numerous applications specifically in the field of renewable energy production. This research proposal aims at understanding the physical nature of the effect of confinement in nanoarchitectures and develop mimic of bioreactors combining the efficiency of the metal nanoclusters as catalyst to the enhanced reactivity due to confinement. This characterization will be followed by the development of tailored unsupported nanoreactors in aqueous environment for applications in fuel cell technology, improving the access of the reactants to the highly active Pt nanocatalysts and artificial photosynthesis with an array of nanoreactors capable of efficient adsorption of the broad range of wavelength of the solar spectrum. The insight gained during this study will not only have a significant impact on the environmentally friendly synthesis of artificial catalysts and their applications but as a model system it will also provide invaluable information on individual factors influencing the efficiency of biological systems inaccessible in vivo.