Nanostructured TiO<sub>2</sub>for improving the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency

Ghazzal, Mohamed Nawfal

doi:10.1039/d3ya00089c

Energy Adv.

2023

DOI: 10.1039/d3ya00089c

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Nanostructured TiO₂for improving the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency

Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal

Abstract: Learning from the complex nature’s photosynthesis process and leaf architecture, it appears, in a simplified picture, that light-harvesting, photogenerated charge carriers separation and their lifetime, and the surface photocatalyst reactivity...

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Cited by 7 publications

References 145 publications

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Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H₂ Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Johar,

Wong,

Ghazzal

2024

Adv Materials Technologies

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Integrating photonic crystals (PCs) into the design of a photocatalyst can significantly enhance its light‐harvesting capability. PCs can manipulate the propagation of light uniquely within a material and reduce its group velocity, thereby enhancing the absorption factor for photocatalysts. However, the slow photon effect in photoactive films with chiral nematic structures has not been reported yet, especially at the blue edge of the photonic bandgap. This work proposes a straightforward one‐pot method to fabricate various photonic films with chiral nematic, namely g‐C3N4/SiO2, TiO2/SiO2, and g‐C3N4/TiO2/SiO2. The sol‐gel biotemplating formulation using cellulose nanocrystals successfully leads to the elaboration of films exhibiting variable iridescent colors with photonic bandgap from UV to visible range. The tunable wavelength of the Bragg peak reflection offers the opportunity to access a region with a slow photonic effect, which directly impacts the light‐harvesting properties of the photoactive material. It is demonstrated that the H2 generation is significantly enhanced when the blue edge of the photonic bandgap position overlapped with the absorbance band of the photocatalyst. These results offer the opportunity to design photonic materials with chiral nematic structure and optimize the photocatalytic performance for energy application.

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Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H₂ Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Johar,

Wong,

Ghazzal

2024

Adv Materials Technologies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Active Photonic Glass for Hydrogen Generation

Wang,

Johar,

Ullah

et al. 2024

Chemistry A European J

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Chirality is vital in many living species since it is responsible for structural iridescent coloration and plays a key role in light harvesting during natural photosynthesis. Developing photoactive materials with such chiral structures is a challenging but promising strategy for energy applications. Here, we describe a straightforward method to establish an active photonic glass obtained through the co‐condensation of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) and titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) (TAA) dissolved in a liquid crystal formed from cellulose nanocrystalline (CNC). The inorganic glass maintains a long range of chiral nematic ordering, displaying iridescent colors characterized by a Bragg peak reflection. The reflected wavelengths are tuned all over the UV‐visible range, demonstrating that the replica of the chiral nematic structure generates photonic properties. Incorporation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) into the films is further performed by impregnation/chemical reduction. We show that the charge carrier density and photocatalytic H2 generation were amplified when the photonic band gap edges matched the absorbance of the TiO2 and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs. This photocatalytic glass with chiral nematic ordering and a tunable photonic bandgap paves the way for the development of metamaterials with new applications, such as asymmetric photocatalysis.

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Strong Metal‐support Interactions in Photocatalysis: Fundamentals and Design Methods

Quach,

Wojcieszak,

Ghazzal

2023

ChemNanoMat

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Engineering the composition and geometry of metallic sites has become a popular manner to boost reaction rate and control reaction selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis. Many studies have been devoted to enhancing the stability of metallic nanoparticles during catalytic reactions by dispersion on metal oxide supports such as TiO2, CeO2 or Nb2O5. These supports not only modulate electronic properties and dispersion/stabilization of metallic nanoparticles but also influence catalytic selectivity, resulting in the so‐called “strong metal‐support interaction” (SMSI). In this minireview, we outlined the discovery and fundamentals of SMSI, as well as its extensive development over the years. In addition, we summarized the recent approaches developed to induce the construction of SMSI between different metal nanoparticles and metal oxide supports and discussed the associated characterization microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Despite of being a prevalent concept in catalysis, the number of studies on SMSI in heterogeneous photocatalysis has been still in limitation. Herein, we highlighted the beneficial effect of SMSI on boosting photocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction and H2 evolution reactions. In general, despite some controversial aspects of the SMSI, this concept opens wide opportunities ahead and encourages researchers to rethink the local active site localization and photocatalyst design.

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Nanostructured TiO₂for improving the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency

Abstract: Learning from the complex nature’s photosynthesis process and leaf architecture, it appears, in a simplified picture, that light-harvesting, photogenerated charge carriers separation and their lifetime, and the surface photocatalyst reactivity...

Cited by 7 publications

References 145 publications

Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H₂ Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H₂ Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Active Photonic Glass for Hydrogen Generation

Strong Metal‐support Interactions in Photocatalysis: Fundamentals and Design Methods

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About

Nanostructured TiO2for improving the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency

Abstract: Learning from the complex nature’s photosynthesis process and leaf architecture, it appears, in a simplified picture, that light-harvesting, photogenerated charge carriers separation and their lifetime, and the surface photocatalyst reactivity...

Cited by 7 publications

References 145 publications

Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H2 Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H2 Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Active Photonic Glass for Hydrogen Generation

Strong Metal‐support Interactions in Photocatalysis: Fundamentals and Design Methods

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Nanostructured TiO₂for improving the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency

Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H₂ Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure

Slow Photonic Effect Inducing Improved H₂ Generation in Photonic Films with Chiral Nematic Structure