Precise composition control of metal-cluster cocatalyst, elucidation of their effects and creation of high activity water-splitting photocatalyst

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K21402
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Energy-related chemistry; Nanomaterials chemistry
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Science
• Principal Investigator: Kurashige Wataru 東京理科大学, 理学部第一部応用化学科, 講師 (50734589)
• Research Collaborator: Negishi Yuichi 東京理科大学, 理学部第一部応用化学科, 教授 (20332182)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 金属クラスター / 光触媒 / 助触媒 / 精密担持 / SMSI

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Water-splitting photocatalysts are generally composed of a semiconductor photocatalyst and metal nanoparticle cocatalyst that acts as the reaction site. Effective strategies to achieve highly active photocatalysts include improving the semiconductor photocatalyst and the cocatalyst. Herein, we report a study on a gold (Au) cluster-supported BaLa4Ti4O15 photocatalyst. In this study, first, the influence of refining Au cluster cocatalyst particles on the water-splitting reaction was clarified at an elementary reaction level. As a result, we found that suppressing the back reaction is an important factor to achieve high activity by refining the cocatalyst. Then, we formed a Cr2O3 shell on the Au cluster cocatalyst particles (Au25) to prevent the back reaction. The resulting water-splitting photocatalyst was highly active and stable, exhibiting activity about 19 times higher than that of Au25-BaLa4Ti4O15 without a Cr2O3 shell.

Free Research Field

クラスター化学、ナノ物質化学、物理化学