Development of nanocomposite inorganic materials for photocatalytic production of solar fuels

国家科学基金会化学部的化学催化计划将支持鲍林格林州立大学米哈伊尔·扎姆科夫教授的研究计划。Zamkov教授和他的学生将结合新的合成策略，形成与金属催化剂颗粒耦合的复合电荷分离纳米颗粒，以及这些颗粒界面处的光致电荷转移过程的超快光谱。这项工作将解决这些异质结界面上电荷转移的性质，有助于基本理解这些纳米材料中的电子动力学。这种纳米材料系统显示出在水分解反应中用作光催化剂以生产氢气和其他太阳能燃料的前景。该项目的工作将有助于培训学生掌握可持续能源技术的基本物理和化学知识，并为开发这些可能很重要的催化材料提供基础。

The Chemical Catalyis Program of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation will support the research program of Professor Mikhail Zamkov at Bowling Green State University. Professor Zamkov and his students will combine novel synthesis strategies for the formation of composite charge-separating nanoparticles coupled with metallic catalyst particles, with ultra-fast spectroscopy of photoinduced charge transfer processes at the interfaces in these particles. This work will address the nature of charge transfer across these heterojunction interfaces, contributing to the basic understanding of electron dynamics in these nanomaterials. Such nanomaterial systems show promise for use as photocatalysts in water splitting reactions for the production of hydrogen and other solar fuels. The work of this project will serve to train students in the fundamental physics and chemistry of sustainable energy technologies, as well as to provide the foundation for the development of these possibly important catalytic materials.