Solar fuels production by metal-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures

• Main Author: Tan, Paul Hong Kiat
• Other Authors: Xue Can
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Materials::Energy materials; Engineering::Materials::Nanostructured materials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/144606
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Traditional sacrificial reagents (SA) used in photocatalysis are fossil-based and thus unsustainable. Hence, this report seeks to investigate how a novel tree leaves SA synthesized from Filicium Decipiens, compares with traditional, non-renewable SAs like triethanolamine (TEOA) and methanol (CH3OH), in terms of methane (CH4) production by locating the most suitable cocatalyst among noble metals (Au, Ag, Ru, Pt) and the optimal pH conditions for the CO2 reduction reaction through photocatalysis with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to produce a sustainable, low-costing CO2 reduction system. The study demonstrated that the tree leaves SA when paired with g-C3N4 loaded with 1% Ru cocatalyst at pH 4 was found to be most suitable for methane gas production as compared to the other noble metal cocatalysts. However, further research is still required for the efficiency of CH4 gas production from the tree leaves SA to match up to that of the traditional SAs.