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

光激活第 5 族金属氧化物纳米复合材料作为可再生化学原料的光催化剂

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-03967
• 负责人: HallettTapley, Geniece
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: St. Francis Xavier University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=747887
• 关键词: Light; Activated; Group; Metal; Oxide

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.

鉴于加拿大政府目前的重点是到2050年到达零排放，因此从化石燃料驱动的方法中的意识形态转变是很高的优先事项。作为一种不可再生能源，石化物主要负责无数的环境问题，这些问题需要开发可持续方法，以最大程度地减少许多与许多工业相关的途径的“化学碳足迹”。光催化是促进清洁全球能源，提高化学转化的成本和能源效率，并克服全球许多当前生态挑战的重要策略。这些优势已被认可了几十年，在太阳能电池设计和替代燃料研究中被广泛利用。 尽管好处远远超过缺点，但光催化技术通常受到高能量（紫外线）光线和短氧化还原寿命的要求而受到限制 - 催化成功的关键。迄今为止，我的实验室中的许多研究都已经保持一致，以减轻其中一些缺点。我们的贡献主要集中在实施欠发达的光激活氧化物氧化物钙钛矿半导体中。此外，正在进行的研究集中于使用纳米颗粒掺杂剂扩展这些材料的光反应，以结合可见光的参与，模仿太阳能。当前的提案将继续基于这些知识，并旨在通过研究以层次结构的方式提高钙钛矿纳米复合材料的光催化疗效1）。该设计的每个支柱都有助于通过改善光反应和反应表面积增强光催化功效的核心目标。 我们对这一领域的贡献将扩大我们对轻型化学原料生产的了解 - 对于实现可持续的工业流程至关重要。理想情况下，我们的发现将导致优化的光催化材料，这些材料可扩展到工业应用。参与这项工作的学生将接触到许多通用的分析和沟通技巧，可以转移到未来的科学职业方向上。