Nanoarchitecture effects in photoelectrochemical energy conversion

• Grant number: 12/23422-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Lucia Helena Mascaro Sales
• Grantee: Lucia Helena Mascaro Sales
• Host Investigator: Frank Marken
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Bath, England

Abstract

The water photolysis system would be a suitable environmental for hydrogen production by being able to use clean energy and also using a reagent such as water which has a good geographic availability. However, this process has low efficiency due to problems of solar radiation absorption and charge transport in the system. Thus, the study of structures in which there is better efficiency of this process is of great importance to this process can be industrially used. For this, the use of carefully planned nanoarchitecture where the structure of the electrodes that will be used in the process is very important and can allow a significant improvement in the performance of materials. In this case the system can be designed layer by layer and control and accurate knowledge of their nanostructure can facilitate the understanding of the mechanism of diffusion and transport of these charges in the system. The plan of the study plan proposed is to develop and characterize nanostructured materials for constructing fotoecletrodes having an architecture designed to improve the critical points of operation of these systems in the process of water photocatalysis, ie, efficiency absorption and conversion of sunlight, decreased recombination electron-hole pairs, etc. It is intended to study the process of photolysis of water employing mesoporous multilayer nanostructures oxides such as TiO2 and Fe203. These oxides can be modified with nanoparticles of metal ions (such as Co2+, Ru3+ or Ir3+). Still will be a study of the combination of these nanoarchitecture multilayer in the water phtoelectrolysis. The system can also be used in hydrogen peroxide fotoelectrogeration and degradation of organic molecules. (AU)