The synthesis of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) has advanced dramatically in the past 10 years. The chemical reactivity of these “artificial atoms” can now be programmed precisely by the control of nanocrystal size, shape, and surface treatments, and doping. In this talk, I will highlight some of our efforts to advance the understanding of shape/facet dependent photocatalytic properties of TiO2. We will report on the facet dependent reactivity of anatase TiO2 NCs surface treated with fluorine to control the shape and in brookite TiO2 nanorods in which the average nanorod aspect ratio is adjusted to optimize the photocatalytic activity and doping is adjusted to enhance absorption into the visible. Designing core/shell architectures has emerged as one of the most promising design strategies in catalysis research to compliment shape control and ligand designs to optimize dispersion and processibility. I will describe advances in combining shape-selective synthesis with core/shell overcoating strategies to improve the performance and cost of electrocatalysts. Specific examples will be drawn from studies of CoP2/Pt core/shell nanorods and Pt/Ni core/shell NCs and Pt intermetallics for Oxygen Reduction Reactions (ORR) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

Synthesis of size and shape-controlled nanocrystals for photocatalysis and electrocatalysis

256th National Meeting (2018)

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