Cerium, titanium, zinc oxide systems: crystallization study using X-ray diffraction in situ and morphological and photocatalytic evaluation

• Grant number: 13/11948-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: December 01, 2013
• End date: September 27, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Osvaldo Antonio Serra
• Grantee: Juliana Fonseca de Lima
• Supervisor: Richard I. Walton
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Warwick, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/24165-6 - Cerium, titanium, zinc oxide systems: Evaluation of syntheses and structural and morphological properties with photophysical and photochemical applications, BP.PD

Abstract

Cerium, zinc and titanium oxides show high ultraviolet absorption intensity, due this fact new systems based on these oxides are very important in the photochemical process. Once they can be applied to use solar energy for technological development acting since heterogeneous photocatalysis to photovoltaic systems; the aim is to obtain cerium:zonc:titanium oxides systems with finely controlled morphology and composition presenting optical band gap smaller than the pure oxides which allows photonic activation in less energy wavelength, with subsequent evaluation of the relationship between the structural characteristics and the observed optical and electronic properties of the solids. The comprehension of several features allows a complete description of the studied materials and their applications. Therefore, part of the postdoctoral project will be developed in collaboration with Profesor Richard I. Walton (University of Warwick - UK). The study of nanostructured CeO2:TiO2 and CeO2:TiO2:ZnO systems will involve modern equipments to obtain a refined structural and morphological characterization including synthesis using synchotron X-ray diffraction in situ. The research also aims XANES and EDXRD in Diamond Synchrotron facilities (Oxfordshire - UK). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE LIMA, JULIANA FONSECA; HARUNSANI, MOHAMMAD HILNI; MARTIN, DAVID JAMES; KONG, DAN; DUNNE, PETER W.; GIANOLIO, DIEGO; KASHTIBAN, REZA J.; SLOAN, JEREMY; SERRA, OSVALDO ANTONIO; TANG, JUNWANG; et al. Control of chemical state of cerium in doped anatase TiO2 by solvothermal synthesis and its application in photocatalytic water reduction. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A, v. 3, n. 18, p. 9890-9898, 2015. (12/24165-6, 13/11948-5)