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Expertise
Materials' synthesis
We synthesize semiconductor and metal nanocrystals (here you can see an example of the so-called hot injection method). We employ a wide range of techniques to fabricate materials, namely, hydrothermal, solvothermal, hot injection, chemical bath deposition or sol-gel routes, among others as well as (photo)electrodeposition techniques.
These nanoparticles could be used in several applications. For instance, they could be used as photocatalysts and further engineered their surface to program their reactivity. Likewise, these nanocrystals could be used as the building blocks to manufacture thin film electrodes for photoelectrochemical and/or electrocatalytic applications.
Photoelectrochemistry
We fabricate a wide range of semiconductor photoelectrodes based on metal oxides and chalcogenides among others.
We fabricate a wide range of semiconductor photoelectrodes based on metal oxides, chalcogenides, pnictides and hybrid materials. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices comprise semiconductor electrodes that could be activated by light to perform catalytic reactions that, otherwise, could not occur. This class of devices, which could be considered a solar-powered version of electrolyzers, wherein the electrodes simultaneously harvest the light and perform the reactions, have the potential to operate in standalone fashion while lowering the operational costs and capital investment with respect to conventional photovoltaic + electrolyzer modules.
We are particularly interested in exploring the reactivity of semiconductor materials towards the fragmentation of lignin and its corresponding derivatives.
Electrochemistry
Aside from the photoactive materials that harvest the energy of the light turning it into highly reducing and oxidizing electrons and holes, we typically rely on materials that are judiciously designed to catalyze the reactions that are pursued.
In this project, finding novel electrocatalysts specifically tailored to undertake the reactions proposed in RELICS is of paramount importance. Electrochemical measurements afford to isolate the “electrocatalytic” behavior and hence, accelerate the screening of electrocatalysts while exploring new formulations.
Operando characterization
Understanding the mechanism of the reaction, unravelling the reaction kinetics and identifying the molecular species that are generated during the chemical transformations that are targeted in RELICS is crucial to propose a rational optimization of such complex catalytic systems. Here, we will rely on various spectroscopic tools, namely, transient absorption spectroscopy (highlighted in the figures and videos), Raman, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. These tools will afford to gain access to different information of the system under operation and ultimately, they will help us to draw a complete picture on how these photo(electro)catalytic systems work in the time-domain and molecular space.
Analytical Characterization
Monitoring the reaction products is critical to assess the efficiency and selectivity of the technology. To do that, RELICS uses an assortment of analytical tools such as HPLC, GC-MS and GC-TCD/FID to characterize the products of the photocatalytic and (photo)electrochemical reactions. In addition, we also benefit from the general facilities available at the University of Alicante and the Institute of Electrochemistry to further characterize the products.
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