Nanostructured metal oxides for solar fuels

太阳有可能提供足够的能量来满足我们的所有需求，但它的能量需要被有效地收集和储存。从太阳获取能量的可持续途径包括使用光催化材料，这种材料在太阳照射下，重新排列水和二氧化碳等分子中的电子，从而形成氢、碳氢化合物和无害的氧气等燃料。这种通常被称为人工光合作用的途径，仅仅是利用取之不尽的资源，就有可能确保负担得起的清洁燃料和能源、制药、塑料和纺织品原料的供应。该项目的目的是在合成具有定制纳米结构的金属氧化物方面取得突破，以提高人工光合作用设备在形成氢气等清洁燃料方面的效率和竞争力。为了实现这一目标，将系统地研究以纳米和二维著称的碳垫--石墨烯氧化物薄片，作为形成复制石墨烯氧化物形状的金属氧化物纳米薄片的牺牲性载体。这将导致更优化的形态，以利用金属氧化物在人工光合作用中的性质。该项目将采用多学科方法，开展不同的活动，即湿法化学合成、设备建造和先进表征，以实现其目标。这些活动中的每一项都将应对不同的挑战。通过湿法化学合成，该项目旨在了解在金属氧化物上复制氧化石墨烯纳米和二维的机制。第二项活动将集中于寻找将新型金属氧化物应用于太阳能燃料生产的最佳路线。第三项活动将面临的挑战是，如何将光催化纳米结构材料的特性与其活性联系起来，从而实现设备的优化。制备具有纳米和二维结构的金属氧化物，如氧化石墨烯，将对这些材料的研究和应用产生重大影响。这将确保在为今世后代提供更可持续的清洁能源组合方面取得重要进展。

The Sun could potentially supply enough energy for all our needs, but its energy needs to be harvested and stored efficiently. A sustainable route to capture energy from the Sun involves using photocatalytic materials that, upon solar irradiation, rearrange the electrons in molecules such as water and carbon dioxide and consequently form fuels such as hydrogen and hydrocarbons and harmless oxygen. This route, typically called artificial photosynthesis, has the potential to ensure affordable supplies of clean fuels and feedstocks for energy, pharmaceuticals, plastics and textiles, simply using inexhaustible resources. The aim of this project is to make a breakthrough in the synthesis of metal oxides with tailored nanostructure to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of artificial photosynthesis devices in the formation of clean fuels such as hydrogen. In order to achieve this, graphene oxide flakes, carbon mats known for its nano and two-dimensionality, will be systematically studied as a sacrificial support for the formation of metal oxide nanoflakes replicating the graphene oxide shape. This will lead to a more optimised morphology to exploit the qualities of metal oxides in artificial photosynthesis. The project will follow a multidisciplinary approach involving the undertaking of different activities, namely wet chemical syntheses, devices construction and advanced characterisation to achieve its aim. Each of these activities will address a different challenge. Through wet chemical syntheses, the project will aim to understand the mechanisms to replicate the nano- and two-dimensionality of graphene oxide on metal oxides. The second activity will concentrate on finding the best routes to apply the novel metal oxides for solar fuels production. The third activity will have the challenge of characterising the photocatalytic nanostructured materials in such a way to relate their properties to their activity, allowing the optimisation of the devices. Preparing metal oxides with nano- and two-dimensionality as in graphene oxide will have a considerable impact on the research of these materials and on their application. This will ensure important advances towards a more sustainableenergy mix of clean energy for current and future generations.