A new generation of multifunctional systems for the Photo(electro) production of solar fuels
Víctor A. de la Peña O´Shea a
a Photoactivated Processes Unit IMDEA Energy Institute, Technological Park of Móstoles, Av. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2023 Conference (MATSUSFall23)
#HOMHET - Bridging The Gap Between Homogeneous and Heterogeneous (Photo)-Electrocatalysis
Torremolinos, Spain, 2023 October 16th - 20th
Organizers: Idan Hod, Elena Mas Marzá and Menny Shalom
Invited Speaker, Víctor A. de la Peña O´Shea, presentation 359
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.matsus.2023.359
Publication date: 18th July 2023

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 and H2O is an interesting route to produce fuels and chemicals; this process is also known as Artificial Photosynthesis (AP). In last years, extensive efforts have been made to develop efficient catalytic systems capable of harvesting light absorption and reducing CO2 especially when using water as the electron donor.

Herein, we report different strategies and modifications of photocatalysts to increase process performance. Among them, an interesting approach to improve charge separation in photocatalytic systems is the use of heterojunctions. In this line, the combination of different semiconductors with noble metal nanoparticles or organic semiconducting polymers leads to a separation of the photogenerated charge carriers to increasing their life time, facilitating charge transfer to adsorbed molecules.

The main products, using bare TiO2, were CO and H2, with low concentrations of CH4. The deposition of surface plasmon nanoparticles (SP-NPs) leads to changes in the selectivity to higher electron-demanding products, such as CH4. TAS measurements confirm that this behavior is due to the electron scavenging ability of SP-NPs [2].

Organo-inorganic hybrid materials show a dramatic reactivity improvement in CO2 photoreduction, enhancing methane selectivity. Reaction pathways are not well defined for this reaction and several uncertains are still unsolved [3]. To explain this behavior a combination of in-situ NAP-XPS, FTIR, TAS spectroscopies and theoretical tools has been used, showing a more efficient light absorption and charge transfer in the hybrid photocatalyst compared with bare materials.

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