H2020Индивидуална стипендия2017–2019

NanoAID · Advanced In-situ Techniques for the Development of Metal Oxide Nanostructures.

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2017-04-01 → 2019-03-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 187 420 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Металите в системи като Cu-Mn-V-O се изследват чрез рентгенови техники, за да се разбере как се формират наноструктури от метални оксиди. Това помага за оптимизиране на фотокатализаторите, които се използват в устройства за разделяне на водата чрез слънчева енергия.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Advanced In-situ Techniques for the Development of Metal Oxide Nanostructures.

We set out to develop advanced in-situ experimental approaches to study the formation of nano-crystalline metal oxide thin films and colloidal nanocrystals to be used in solar water splitting devices. At the time of application, there did not exist an established approach to thoroughly study the formation of nanocrystalline thin films at elevated temperatures. Also the fundamental understanding of mechanisms governing colloidal synthesis of complex nanocrystals was limited. Nanocrystalline morphologies of photocatalyst thin films present an opportunity to enhance the performance of photoelectrochemical cells used for solar water splitting. The search for new photoabsorbers with nano-scale morphologies is ongoing, and our goal was to develop tools to accelerate the searches and facilitate optimization of the fabrication process. We planned to build custom in-situ sample cells to study the formation of thin films and nanocrystal seeds using X-ray scattering techniques, which offer the adequate structural information and speed of data acquisition, especially considering synchrotron sources. The cells we used in a number of experimental campaigns to study nanomaterials in the Cu-Mn-V-O systems. The work contributed to the general understanding of the formation mechanism of nanocrystalline thin films and how to control the properties of the products. We have also uncovered mechanisms in colloidal synthesis of nanocrystals, which can be used as seed in production of thin films. The results provide a valuable contribution both to the fundamental understanding of the physico-chemical processes, and to the ongoing search for photocatalysts.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Complex metal oxides (MO) are the center of interest in a range of fields, with one of the most exciting applications being artificial photosynthesis. Converting solar energy into chemical bonds, once perfected, might constitute a large part of a solution to the energy sustainability problem modern society faces. Semiconductor MOs have been shown to be promising candidates for light absorbers in anodes of photoelectrochemical cells used for water cleavage and hydrogen production from sunlight. Candidate materials with optimal band gap and band alignment with water redox level used in such devices are often selected based on combinatorial material science techniques (inkjet printing, co-sputtering) and theoretical calculations. Once a compound is identified as having promising photoelectrochemical properties, a fabrication route is sought to prepare nano-structured thin films. Colloidal chemistry is a highly promising approach for the synthesis of complex MO nano crystals (NCs), in principle allowing control over the size and structure of the NCs by choosing appropriate precursors and tuning the conditions (temperature, time, reagent concentration, organic ligands). These advancements greatly facilitate research in the field of complex functional materials and are now a standard, but the optimization of synthesis-by-design of NCs and thin films fabrication has been lacking and mainly based on a trial and error approach. With NanoAID we will address this important issue and develop a comprehensive toolbox for synthesis and characterization of complex oxides, which will go beyond the state of the art with precise defects and non-stoichiometry control capabilities. NanoAID will focus on developing a toolbox for rapid structural and morphological characterization of complex oxide NCs and thin films, and thermodynamic analysis of the involved compounds. Research will center on ternary and quaternary compounds, namely Cu/Mn-V-O.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE · LausanneКоординаторШвейцария