NOMTGCS · Noble Metal Loaded Oxygen-deficient Mesoporous Tungsten Trioxide for Green Catalysis under Solar Light
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-03-05 → 2021-07-05
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Noble Metal Loaded Oxygen-deficient Mesoporous Tungsten Trioxide for Green Catalysis under Solar Light
Current synthetic methodologies in chemical industry must be significantly improved to enable the production of many chemicals, such as H2O2 which is used in the manufacture of organic peroxide, through environmentally friendly and sustainable processes. These improvements should both satisfy the increasing demands for industrial chemicals and solve the accompanying energy and environmental problems. One of the main challenges for establishing a sustainable society is to simulate natural photosynthesis and develop effective photocatalysts for various chemical transformations under solar light, which is almost never exhaustible. Chemists need to develop stable, efficient photocatalysts for chemical reaction processes promoted by solar light, which will greatly contribute to science and our futures. The four principal objectives of this project: (1) To design and synthesize novel efficient photocatalysts based on oxygen deficient mesoporous WO3 supported Au, Pd or Au-Pd nanoparticles (M@odm-WO3; M=Au, Pd, or Au-Pd) (WP1); (2) To use the as-prepared photocatalysts in the liquid phase synthesis of 4 hydrogen peroxide from water and molecular oxygen without the usage of hydrogen gas under solar light irradiation (WP2); (3) To directly perform oxidation of alcohols with hydrogen peroxide in-situ generated under solar light in the presence of M@odm-WO3 (WP2); (4) To oxidize primary carbon-hydrogen bonds in toluene with molecular oxygen under solar light catalyzed by the as-prepared M@odm-WO3 (WP2). After the fellowship is completed, we have successfully realized this four project objectives. We have developed an efficient Pd-MoO3 catalyst for highly selectively methane oxidation to methanol under simulated solar light irradiation. Besides, the fellowship has highly beneficial to establish the fellow as an independent researcher, and new career perspectives are achieved for a faculty position. Various outreach activities have been designed and done, which strengthen the impact on solar light photocatalysis and energy issues.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
With the increasingly serious energy and environmental problems caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, the development of efficient solar light driven photocatalysts for green chemical synthesis is an urgent task at present. In this project, the synthesis and solar light driven green catalytic applications of noble metal (Au, Pd, or Au-Pd) loaded oxygen deficient mesoporous tungsten trioxide are proposed. The objectives of this research proposal are to use the as-prepared photocatalysts for the high selective synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from water and molecular oxygen without the usage of hydrogen gas, and to use the in-situ formed hydrogen peroxide for directly oxidation of alcohols and primary carbon-hydrogen bonds in toluene with high selectivity under solar light. A series of mesoporous tungsten trioxide can be facilely prepared by a hard template replicating method using mesoporous silica as template and phosphotungstic acid as a precursor. Oxygen deficient mesoporous tungsten trioxide will be prepared by hydrogenation treatment under different temperature. The interconnected mesopores in tungsten trioxide are beneficial for the adsorption of noble metal precursors. Noble metal nanocrystals would be formed by in-situ reduction on the oxygen deficient mesoporous tungsten trioxide under solar light irradiation. The special heterojunction of noble metal nanoparticles and oxygen deficient mesoporous tungsten trioxide semiconductor will result in high-performance, stable novel photocatalysts for green catalysis under solar light. The new catalytic concepts by the utilization of solar light for highly efficient green chemical synthesis proposed in this project will provide great benefits for both the whole chemical industry and our environment.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- CARDIFF UNIVERSITY · CARDIFFCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union