Plasmonic Titanium Nitride Facilitates Indium Oxide CO Photocatalysis.

Nanoscale titanium nitride TiN is a metallic material that can effectively harvest sunlight over a broad spectral range and produce high local temperatures via the photothermal effect. Nanoscale indium oxide-hydroxide, In O (OH) , is a semiconducting material capable of photocatalyzing the hydrogenation of gaseous CO ; however, its wide electronic bandgap limits its absorption of photons to the ultraviolet region of the solar spectrum. Herein, the benefits of both nanomaterials in a ternary heterostructure: TiN@TiO @In O (OH) are combined.

Anchoring Ba to Pd/H WO Nanowires Promotes a Photocatalytic Reverse Water-Gas Shift Reaction.

Surface deposition of Ba on Pd/H WO nanowires was developed by using a solution-phase atomic layer deposition process. The procedure involves the generation of Brønsted surface OH sites by H spillover on Pd/WO , which can then hydrolytically condense with Ba(OEt) to produce surface Ba . At just 0.

Cu Atoms on Nanowire Pd/HWO Bronzes Enhance the Solar Reverse Water Gas Shift Reaction.

Nanowire hydrogen bronzes of WO nanowires decorated with Pd (Pd/HWO) were previously demonstrated to effectively capture broadband radiation across the ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelength range and catalyze the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS). Herein, we report a synthetic strategy to enhance the performance of this class of photocatalysts by conformally coating Cu atoms onto the surface of Pd/HWO by anchoring Cu(I)OBu to the Brønsted acidic protons of the bronze. The resulting materials are characterized by a suite of analytical methods, including electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Tailoring Surface Frustrated Lewis Pairs of InO (OH) for Gas-Phase Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Reduction of CO by Isomorphous Substitution of In with Bi.

Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) created by sterically hindered Lewis acids and Lewis bases have shown their capacity for capturing and reacting with a variety of small molecules, including H and CO, and thereby creating a new strategy for CO reduction. Here, the photocatalytic CO reduction behavior of defect-laden indium oxide (InO (OH) ) is greatly enhanced through isomorphous substitution of In with Bi, providing fundamental insights into the catalytically active surface FLPs (i.e.

Pd@H WO Nanowires Efficiently Catalyze the CO Heterogeneous Reduction Reaction with a Pronounced Light Effect.

The design of photocatalysts able to reduce CO to value-added chemicals and fuels could enable a closed carbon circular economy. A common theme running through the design of photocatalysts for CO reduction is the utilization of semiconductor materials with high-energy conduction bands able to generate highly reducing electrons. Far less explored in this respect are low-energy conduction band materials such as WO.

Photothermal Catalyst Engineering: Hydrogenation of Gaseous CO with High Activity and Tailored Selectivity.

This study has designed and implemented a library of hetero-nanostructured catalysts, denoted as Pd@NbO, comprised of size-controlled Pd nanocrystals interfaced with NbO nanorods. This study also demonstrates that the catalytic activity and selectivity of CO reduction to CO and CH products can be systematically tailored by varying the size of the Pd nanocrystals supported on the NbO nanorods. Using large Pd nanocrystals, this study achieves CO and CH production rates as high as 0.

Size-Tunable Photothermal Germanium Nanocrystals.

Germanium nanocrystals (ncGe) have not received as much attention as silicon nanocrystals (ncSi). However, Ge has demonstrated superiority over Si nanomaterials in some applications. Examples include, high charge-discharge rate lithium-ion batteries, small band-gap opto-electronic devices, and photo-therapeutics.

Nanostructured Indium Oxide Coated Silicon Nanowire Arrays: A Hybrid Photothermal/Photochemical Approach to Solar Fuels.

The field of solar fuels seeks to harness abundant solar energy by driving useful molecular transformations. Of particular interest is the photodriven conversion of greenhouse gas CO2 into carbon-based fuels and chemical feedstocks, with the ultimate goal of providing a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Nonstoichiometric, hydroxylated indium oxide nanoparticles, denoted In2O3-x(OH)y, have been shown to function as active photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to CO via the reverse water gas shift reaction under simulated solar irradiation.

Photomethanation of Gaseous CO over Ru/Silicon Nanowire Catalysts with Visible and Near-Infrared Photons.

in the presence of H to CH at millimole per hour per gram of catalyst conversion rates, using visible and near-infrared photons. The catalyst used to drive this reaction comprises black silicon nanowire supported ruthenium. These results represent a step towards engineering broadband solar fuels tandem photothermal reactors that enable a three-step process involving i) CO capture, ii) gaseous water splitting into H, and iii) reduction of gaseous CO2 by H.

Enhanced hematite water electrolysis using a 3D antimony-doped tin oxide electrode.

We present herein an example of nanocrystalline antimony-doped tin oxide (nc-ATO) disordered macroporous "inverse opal" 3D electrodes as efficient charge-collecting support structures for the electrolysis of water using a hematite surface catalyst. The 3D macroporous structures were created via templating of polystyrene spheres, followed by infiltration of the desired precursor solution and annealing at high temperature. Using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, it was determined that the use of this 3D transparent conducting oxide with a hematite surface catalyst allowed for a 7-fold increase in active surface area for water splitting with respect to its 2D planar counterpart.