Area of research
Materials Chemistry · Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Research interest
Research topics from publications: Molecular Z-Scheme for Solar Fuel Production via Dual Photocatalytic Cycles; A Series of Green Light Absorbing Organic Photosensitizers Capable of Oxidative Quenching Photocatalysis; Molecular Z-Scheme for H2 Production via Dual Photocatalytic Cycles. Representative work: Natural photosynthesis uses an array of molecular structures in a multiphoton Z-scheme for the conversion of light energy into chemical bonds (i.e., solar fuels). Here, we show that upon excitation of both a molecular photocatalyst (PC) and a substituted naphthol (ROH) in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor and proton source, we achieve photocatalytic synthesis of H2. Data support a multiphoton mechanism that is catalytic with respect to both PC and ROH. The use of a naphthol molecule as both a light absorber and H2 producing catalyst is a unique motif for Z-scheme systems. This molecular Z-scheme can drive a reaction that is uphill by 511 kJ mol–1 and circumvents the high-energy co Abstract In order to design a series of photoredox compounds with a broad range of reactivity, eosin Y, a xanthene derivative, was chosen as a precursor to synthesize a new series of organic photocatalysts. The synthesis and characterization of these four new organic photocatalysts was undertaken. Redox potentials of this series of photocatalysts varied by 110 mV, which shows that these catalysts can be tuned for specific reactions. The measured fluorescence quantum yields ranged from 0.33 to 0.65 which outperform most transition metal photocatalysts. The excited state lifetimes (ns) of the new photocatalysts are comparable to those of the parent complex, but the λ max value for absorption w