Design and characterization of thin films for energy applications

Equipment, AAP 2018-4

Team: Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques

Abstract:

The development of noble metal-free, selective, stable, efficient and recyclable heterogeneous photocatalysts for energy-relevant reactions, such as oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) or carbon dioxide reduction (CO2R), still remains one major issue. We have recently combined for the first time porphyrins antenna as photosensitizers, POMs as homogenous catalysts and MOFs as a porous solid state support, which had remained unexplored so far, in order to provide a proof-of-concept “three-in-one” heterogeneous POM@MOF photocatalysts (porosity + catalysis + light capture). Our current strategy is now to design and characterize thin films of POM@MOFs or nanoMOFs (≤ 100 nm), as an interesting alternative in order to integrate porous photosystems into easy-to-use and recyclable photoelectrodes. However, the integration of porphyrin-based MOFs into thin films for photoelectrocatalytic purposes is still rare. Overall, we have recently been working successfully on different methods for the immobilization of POM@MOFs hybrid materials with very promising outcomes. Also, the synthesis and fixation of nanoMOFs and the preparation of nanoPOM@MOFs have scarcely been initiated. The most challenging step up to these days is now the quantification of the mass of these thin films and the proportion of MOF and POM for comparing our methods and their catalytic performance. Thus, the recourse to a microbalance is required. Furthermore, the synthesis and further immobilization of these nanomaterials (nano POM@MOFs) implies higher risks for health and environment and thus the project will allow the fully equipment of one fume hood with a nanoparticle filter in LCPB.

Themes:

Renewable energies