Photoreactivity of nanostructured semiconducting oxides

本研究将探讨氧化物半导体在紫外光照射下形成价带空穴和导带电子的基本过程如何取决于半导体的晶体结构、形貌和纳米结构。如果氧化物半导体要更广泛地用作光催化剂、光伏电池和利用其光电特性的其他器件，那么对这些过程的更好理解是至关重要的。该项目将利用圣安德鲁斯大学的Zhou团队与阿伯丁大学的Howe团队之间的合作，前者在使用电子显微镜进行材料合成和结构表征方面具有特殊专业知识，后者在使用EPR和FTIR光谱法跟踪半导体及其表面的过程方面具有经验。不同的纳米结构形式的二氧化钛将被合成，并通过原位EPR和FTIR光谱相结合，研究其光反应性。我们还将研究复合半导体，使用TiO 2-WO 3作为模型示例，以了解为什么这种复合半导体在可见光激发下可以显示出更好的性能。该项目将雇用两名博士生，一名来自圣安德鲁斯，一名来自阿伯丁，他们将学习材料化学这一快速发展领域的互补技能。

This research will investigate how the fundamental processes of formation of valence band holes and conduction band electrons when oxide semiconductors are irradiated with UV light depend on the crystal structure, morphology and nanostructure of the semiconductor. Improved understanding of these processes is crucial if oxide semiconductors are to be used more widely as photocatalysts, in photovoltaic cells, and in other devices exploiting their photoelectronic properties. The project will draw upon a collaboration between the group of Zhou, at St Andrews, with particular expertise in synthesis and structural characterisation of materials using electron microscopy, and Howe, at Aberdeen, who has experinece of using EPR and FTIR spectroscopy to follow processes occurring in semiconductors and at their surfaces. Different nanostructured forms of TiO2 will be synthesised, and their photoreactivity investigated by a combination of in-situ EPR and FTIR spectroscopies. We will also examine composite semiconductors, using TiO2-WO3 as a model example, in order to understand why such composite semiconductors may show improved performance under visible light excitation.The project will employ two PhD students, one in St-Andrews and one in Aberdeen, who will learn complementary skills in this rapidly evolving area of materials chemistry.