Title:The scientific challenge and opportunity of solar photocatalytic hydrogen production
Speaker: Prof. Can Li
Time:April. 18. 2012.14:30-15:30
Venue: Room A101 At WNLO
Abstract:
Solar energy is the primary source for clean and renewable energy alternative. The concerns about the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the pollution caused by continuously increasing energy demands make solar fuels an attractive energy source. This lecture discusses the key issues concerning the photocatalytic productions of solar fuels, mainly photocatalytic hydrogen production and photocatalytic reduction of CO2 utilizing solar energy, focusing on the fundamental understanding of photocatalysis and photochemical reactions on semiconductor-based photocatalysts. Semiconductor materials are believed to be the most promising components for photocatalysts, so the discovery and synthesis of novel semiconductor materials are crucial for the development of advanced photocatalysts. To convert solar energy efficiently to chemical energy, much attention has been paid to reducing charge recombination and improving solar energy conversion efficiency. Our recent results demonstrate that the formation of surface phase junction and hetero-junction on semiconductor catalysts can significantly enhance the activity in photocatalytic hydrogen production. By mimicking the photosynthesis, loading spatially separated dual cocatalysts for oxidation and reduction on semiconductor nanoparticles can effectively avoid the charge recombination and consequently increase the photocatalytic activity. A recent progress made in photocatalytic hydrogen production shows that a quantum yield up to 93% can be achieved for Pt-PdS/CdS catalysts where the dual co-catalysts, Pt and PdS nanoparticles act as reduction and oxidation co-catalysts respectively. The finely designing and preparation of junctions at atomic and nano-scale together with spatially separated dual co-catalysts findings is a strategy to develop highly active photocatalysts for solar fuel production.
Biography:
Prof. Can Li received his PhD degree in 1988 from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. He worked as post-doc fellow and visiting professor at Northwestern University (USA), The University of Liverpool (UK), Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) and Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI (France). He was promoted to a full professor in Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, 1993, and was elected to a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2003, a member of the Academy of Sciences for Developing World (TWAS) in 2005, and the fellow of Royal Chemical Society in 2005, the member of Academia Europaea in 2008. He was appointed to the position of Director of State Key Laboratory of Catalysis in 1998, the chairman of the Catalysis of China in 2005, elected to the Vice President and the President of the International Association of Catalysis Societies in 2004 and 2008 respectively. He is on the editor boards of more than 15 academic international and national journals.
Prof. Can Li has been studying catalysis and materials at molecular level and making effort to reveal the essential relationship between catalytic performance and the catalyst structure. Prof. Can Li has applied these understandings of the fundamental principles of catalysis to the design and development of more selective and active catalysts for practical applications in energy, fine chemicals and environmental industries.
