DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF METAL OXIDE SEMICONDUCTORS FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Photocatalysis has attracted significant attentions because of its applications in photochemical synthesis, pollution remediation, and energy innovation. As clean energy source, H2 from water splitting becomes relatively important in energy application. Studying O2 evolution from water splitting plays an important role in improving the efficiency of H2 evolution. WO2/WO3 hybrid has been synthesized via solvothermal method. This hybrid gives rise to enhanced efficiency of O2 evolution with Vis-NIR light. Apart from O2 generation, we also fabricated a 2-D C/TiO2 heterogenous hybrid and studied its photocatalytic activity on H2 evolution in absence of noble metals. In addition to clean energy, we explore a 2-D TiO2 photocatalyst for wastewater treatment with Vis-NIR light. Thus, this thesis provides a cost effective way to potentially utilize solar energy in clean energy and pollution remediation applications.