Capturing full-spectrum of solar energy using TiO2 ordered suprastructures

该项目旨在开发一种可以利用全光谱太阳能的二氧化钛（TiO2）半导体。太阳能驱动的光催化过程在水净化和能源生产中有着重要的应用。它们的有效性取决于半导体的吸收能力和将光能转化为化学能的能力。由于价格低廉、化学性质和机械性能稳定，二氧化钛是最有前途的半导体材料。然而，未经修饰的TiO2只吸收紫外线（5%的太阳能）。随着目前可见光吸光度的研究进展，本项目旨在通过掺杂上转换镧系元素，制备能够捕光的胶体晶体超结构，显著提高TiO2在近红外波段的吸光度。

The project aims to develop a titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor that can use full-spectrum solar energy. Solar-driven photocatalytic processes have important applications in water decontamination and energy production. Their effectiveness is dictated by the semiconductor’s absorbance and conversion of photoenergy to chemical energy. Being inexpensive, chemically and mechanically robust, TiO2 is the most promising material for the semiconductor. However, unmodified TiO2 only absorbs ultraviolet light (5 per cent of solar energy). With current progress made in visible absorbance, this project aims to significantly improve TiO2’s absorbance in near infrared by doping with upconversion lanthanides and rendering colloidal crystal suprastructures that can trap light.