NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in New Zealand

Pearson Alyssa A, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Alyssa Ann Pearson of University of Wyoming to conduct a research project in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences area during the summer of 2013 at Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. The project title is "Solar Conversion of Water to Fuels Using Photoactive Metals." The host scientists are Dr. John Spencer and Dr. Justin Hodgkiss. An ideal water-splitting system would involve a cell in which one metal catalyst performs water splitting to produce oxygen, hydron (H+), and electrons. The protons (H+) and electrons (e-) would move through a membrane to a second cell in which the formation of hydrogen gas occurs via a second metal catalyst. The hydrogen is then collected and can be used in a fuel cell or as a combustion fuel while the oxygen is released into the atmosphere and is hence completely green and renewable. This research incorporates a unique and important area of chemistry, metal Arduengo-type carbene coordination. The approach is novel because it incorporates a dual metal system that is coordinated to a fused phenanthroline-imidazole ring system, with one metal coordinating to the carbene moiety on the imidazole, while the other is integrated into the organic scaffold on the N,N'-phenanthroline position. This enables hydrogen molecule formation, by using one metal to perform the oxidation of water while the other metal performs reduction thereby splitting water and producing a fuel. These new di-metallic complexes have shown to exhibit light-sensitivity and will be used as potential water oxidation and reduction catalysts. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, these activities enable future collaborations between the University of Wyoming and Victoria University of Wellington. It also encourages recruitment of Maori graduate students to study at the University of Wyoming. Future graduate students from the University of Wyoming will be encouraged to apply to the EASPI fellowship and be made more aware of opportunities for international travel and research. The information gained in this research experience will be disseminated through an oral presentation given at the University of Wyoming upon completion of the EAPSI fellowship.