| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T21: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
2021 Undergraduate Student Poster Contest
|
| Presentation Title |
Optimal Integration of TiO2-Coated Gold Nanostars for Enhancement of Photocatalytic Water Reduction |
| Author(s) |
Sanjna Sukumaran, Kaleigh M. Ryan, Laura Fabris |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Sanjna Sukumaran |
| Abstract Scope |
Photocatalysts based on semiconductors such as TiO2 have been investigated as reliable materials for solar energy conversion. TiO2 is popular for its abundance and stability, but its large band gap absorbs and converts only ultraviolet radiation, which represents just 8% of the solar spectrum. Gold nanostars possess morphology-dependent plasmonic properties capable of extending TiO2’s photocatalytic activity into the visible-near-infrared region, which represents the other 92% of the solar spectrum. The enhancement can be achieved by epitaxially coating gold nanostars with a TiO2 shell. These TiO2-coated gold nanostars generate hot electrons by absorbing radiation via their localized surface plasmon resonances. The hot electrons then cross the Schottky barrier separating gold and TiO2’s conduction band, where they can induce photoreduction reactions. In this project, we tune the plasmonic properties of the gold nanostars by modifying their morphology. Our goal is to achieve an optimal gold-TiO2 integration that can further enhance photocatalytic reactions. |