COLLOIDAL SYNTHESIS OF EARTH ABUNDANT LATE TRANSITION METAL BASED NANOCRYSTALS FOR WATER SPLITTING AND CARBON DIOXIDE REDUCTION

Abstract

Water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) are promising approaches to green and renewable energy. Designing highly active, stable and cost economic catalysts is pivotal to realize their potential. Fe and Cu group based nanocatalysts are among the most promising candidates. However, inadequate understanding on synthetic methods and design principles limit their practical use. Here we synthesize Fe and Cu group based nanocatalysts with refined structural control and enhance their electrochemical water splitting and CO2RR performance. We firstly systematically investigated FeS nanocrystals (NCs) formation kinetics, obtaining shape controlled and phase pure NCs covering most stoichiometry. Followingly, we developed FexNiySz nanoparticle system with controlled shape and composition, then improve their water splitting activity through surface ligation. In project 3 we synthesize novel Cu@Au core-branch heterostructures with controllable size and Au loading. The impact of the Cu nanoparticle core size and Au loading on CO2RR were studied.