Designing Nanoengineered Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Generation by Water Splitting and Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Clean Fuels.

Semiconductor photocatalysis has received tremendous attention in the past decade as it has shown great promise in the context of clean energy harvesting for environmental remediation. Sunlight is an inexhaustible source of energy available to us throughout the year, although it is rather dilutely dispersed. Semiconductor based photocatalysis presents one of the best ways to harness this source of energy to carry out chemical reactions of interest that require external energy input.

Direct Z-Scheme g-CN/FeWO Nanocomposite for Enhanced and Selective Photocatalytic CO Reduction under Visible Light.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO to renewable solar fuels is considered to be a promising strategy to simultaneously solve both global warming and energy crises. However, development of a superior photocatalytic system with high product selectivity for CO reduction under solar light is the prime requisite. Herein, a series of nature-inspired Z-scheme g CN/FeWO composites are prepared for higher performance and selective CO reduction to CO as solar fuel under solar light.

p-Type NiO Hybrid Visible Photodetector.

A novel hybrid visible-light photodetector was created using a planar p-type inorganic NiO layer in a junction with an organic electron acceptor layer. The effect of different oxygen pressures on formation of the NiO layer by pulsed laser deposition shows that higher pressure increases the charge carrier density of the film and lowers the dark current in the device. The addition of a monolayer of small molecules containing conjugated π systems and carboxyl groups at the device interface was also investigated and with correct alignment of the energy levels improves the device performance with respect to the quantum efficiency, responsivity, and photogeneration.

NiS1.97: A New Efficient Water Oxidation Catalyst for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation.

NiS1.97, a sulfur-deficient dichalcogenide, in nanoscale form, is shown to be a unique and efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalyst for H2 generation by water splitting. Phase pure NiS1.

Chlorate ion mediated rutile to anatase reverse phase transformation in the TiO2 nanosystem.

Rutile TiO(2) nanoneedles (8 nm × 100 nm) synthesized at room temperature by anodization in perchloric acid (pH < 1) are shown to undergo an interesting reverse phase transformation to anatase nanoparticles (8 nm) at 300 °C only if the chlorate ions are maintained in the ambient medium. When chlorate ions are removed by multiple washing, the rutile phase and the needle morphology are maintained. The mechanism of formation of the ion-stabilized solid and its thermal evolution is discussed.

Room temperature synthesis of rutile TiO2 hierarchical nanoneedle flower morphology for dye sensitized solar cell.

Rutile TiO2 nanoneedle flowers (representing concurrent nano-micro hierarchical morphology) with high shape anisotropy ratio are synthesized at room temperature by using a simple and efficient one step electrochemical process of anodic dissolution. This process employs highly acidic bath of perchloric acid (pH <2) and a large current density on the surface of Titanium foil to form nanostructures. The diameter and length of rutile TiO2 nanoneedle is approximately 8 nm and 100 nm respectively (aspect ratio >10).