US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Nanostructured Multiferroics for Solar Hydrogen Production

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

This project supports a cooperative research effort by Dr. Arunava Gupta of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa with Dr. Atef Daoud of the Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute, Helwan, Egypt. They plan to study "Nanostructured Multiferriocs for Solar Hydrogen Production." The project will support one year of preliminary research to develop a full collaborative research proposal. The increasing demand for clean energy has motivated considerable effort to exploit the properties of various solar-harvesting materials and photocatalysts. Solar hydrogen is considered to be an important fuel for the future as it is based on clean renewable precursors - solar energy and water. The scientific outcomes of the project are expected to include both advances in the synthesis of a new class of nanostructured photocatalysts and fundamental understanding of their materials and physical characteristics. The project will also conduct feasibility studies on the use of functionalized nanomaterials for water splitting reaction which will provide a foundation for further research and technology development for hydrogen generation from solar energy and water. Since the first reported photocatalytic production of H2 from water in 1972 using TiO2, a variety of semiconductor materials have been developed for the production of solar fuels. Some of these materials have achieved high quantum efficiencies using ultraviolet light (about 4% of the sunlight), but the efficiency of operation with visible light (about 43% of the sunlight) is much lower (near 2.5%). This is primarily because of materials-related issues and limitations, such as the control of the band gap, band structure, optical properties and available surface area for reaction. The PIs plan to investigate the feasibility of using nanostructured materials and composites based on multiferroic bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) as photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water. The use of multiferroic materials(combining the properties of ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism and ferroelasticity) for water splitting remain largely unexplored; although BiFeO3, for instance, has a suitable energy band gap around 2.6 eV. The exploratory research will include: developing chemical routes for the synthesis of rare earth doped bismuth ferrite multiferroic nanostructures and metal/multiferroics nanocomposites, exploring size-property relationships of the nanomaterials, and assessing their capabilities for water splitting and hydrogen production. The novel nanostructured photocatalysts based on multiferroics are likely to possess band gaps for efficient absorption of solar radiation and also result in efficient separation of charge carriers. Chemical routes, such as sol-gel, hydrothermal and combustion synthesis, will be utilized to synthesize the nanostructured photocatalysts. The synthesis work will be carried out at Alexandria University, while the characterization and physical property measurements will be carried out by at the University of Alabama. The proposed research requires a multidisciplinary effort that will make significant contributions to scientific knowledge, education outreach and infrastructure. The planned travel by the US PI and US student to work with their Egyptian partners will provide them a direct opportunity to learn about carrying out research in that country. Beyond fundamental discovery and technology development, the US-Egypt team will establish and maintain a valuable network that provides for competitive, interdisciplinary, and globally engaged research. The US PI is an active participant in the multi-disciplinary Center for Materials for Information Technology (MINT) and will leverage the existing resources available for the maximum impact of outreach and dissemination of results specifically related to this work. This project is funded through the US-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Fund Program. Support for the U.S. side of these cooperative projects is provided to the National Science Foundation by the U.S. Department of State. The Egyptian Government provides support for the Egyptian side of the collaboration.