Unveiling the defect chemistry of doped Zinc oxide semiconductors towards improved photocatalytic performance in hydrogen production. (R-9087)

A renewable and easily available energy source is the sun. Sunlight can be captured, converted and stored in efficient energy carriers, such as hydrogen. The chemical energy stored in the H2 bond is easily released, yielding only water as the reaction product. The conversion of solar energy into H2 via water splitting processes is therefore among the most promising options for clean technologies. For a water splitting process to be efficient, a catalyst is required. Photocatalysts capture the sunlight and transfer its energy into reactive species that promote the water splitting reaction. One of the most suitable photocatalysts for various applications is ZnO. However, to use this material as well for photocatalytic H2 production, its stability in aqueous environment should be increased and its absorption in the visible region of the solar spectrum should be improved. The groups at Hasselt and Namur will join their complementary expertises to tackle these issues. They will introduce dopant ions in ZnO nanoparticles and study how they generate defects in the electronic structure and increase the absorption of visible light (UH). Moreover, they will integrate the doped nanoparticles in a porous matrix to improve accessibility and stability (UN). Jointly, both teams have an unequalled set of tools and expertise, which allows them to focus on hitherto unanswered scientific questions by being able to study in depth the relation between the synthesis process - dopant position - dopant effects - catalyst structure and performance.

Keywords:ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES

Disciplines:Inorganic chemistry

Project type:Collaboration project