Light-Activated Group 5 Metal Oxide Nanocomposites as Photocatalysts for Renewable Chemical Feedstocks

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Given the current focus of the Government of Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, an ideological shift from fossil fuel-driven methods is of high priority. As a non-renewable energy source, petrochemicals are primarily responsible for countless environmental issues that warrant the development of sustainable approaches to minimize the "chemical carbon footprint" of many industrially relevant pathways. Photocatalysis is an important strategy for facilitating clean global energy, improving the cost and energy efficacy of chemical transformations, and overcoming many of the globe's current ecological challenges. These advantages have been recognized for several decades, having been widely exploited in solar cell design and alternative fuel research. Though the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, photocatalysis technologies are often limited by the requirement of high energy (ultraviolet) light and short redox lifetimes - pivotal for catalytic success. To date, much of the research in my lab has been aligned to mitigate several of these shortcomings. Our contributions have largely focused on implementing underdeveloped light-activated niobium oxide perovskite semiconductors. Additionally, ongoing research is focused on extending light response of these materials using nanoparticle dopants to incorporate the participation of visible light, mimicking solar energy. The current proposal will continue to build on this knowledge and aims to improve the photocatalytic efficacy of perovskite nanocomposites in hierarchical fashion through study of 1) heterogenous nanocatalyst synergy, 2) nanoparticle morphology, and 3) photocatalyst porosity. Each pillar of this design contributes to the central objective of enhancing photocatalytic efficacy through improving light response and surface area for reaction. Our contributions to this field will broaden our knowledge of light-driven chemical feedstock production - crucial for realizing sustainable industrial processes. Ideally, our findings will result in optimized photocatalytic materials that are scalable for industrial applications. Students involved in this work will be exposed to a multitude of versatile analytical and communication skills, transferable to future scientific career directions.