Materials Chemistry and Catalysis

CO₂ photoreduction using AuCu/TiO₂ nanorod assemblies as a sustainable approach for ethylene production

Extensive carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions have resulted in serious environmental problems. The photoreduction of CO₂ using solar energy and water to produce reusable chemicals, such as methane, methanol and ethylene offers a promising, sustainable solution. A widely used catalyst to facilitate this chemical conversion is titanium dioxide (TiO₂) due to its abundancy, low-toxicity and stability. However, its low visible light response and high charge recombination rate limit production yields. To enhance the catalytic performance of TiO₂-based photocatalysts, we aim to improve charge separation, achieving broad-spectrum absorption, and stronger light-matter interactions.

Our approach uses a unique colloidal catalysts design consisting of TiO₂ nanorods to suppress charge recombination and gold-copper (AuCu) nanoparticles for inducing a stronger interaction with visible light and steering the selectivity towards C₂₊-hydrocarbon products. The nanoparticles are self-assembled into spherical clusters – called supraparticles – to ensure efficient light confinement. Within these supraparticles the TiO₂ and AuCu nanoparticles are arranged in a liquid-crystalline, binary smectic structure to further enhance the interparticle charge transfer. The photocatalytic performance of this catalyst design will be evaluated, combined with an in-depth characterization by spectroscopy and electron microscopy techniques.

This research is part of the Science for Sustainability Graduate Programme (GPS4S), supported by the chemistry and physics department at Utrecht University.

C.V.

November 2023 – present

PhD candidate at the Materials Chemistry and Catalysis group and Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysics group at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Supervised by Dr. Jessi van der Hoeven and Prof. Dr. Alfons van Blaaderen.

September 2021 – October 2023

Master’s degree in Nanomaterials Science at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Master’s thesis entitled “The aqueous synthesis and characterization of bimetallic gold-copper nanoparticle catalysts for CO oxidation” Supervised by MSc. Marta Perxés i Perich and Dr. Jessi van der Hoeven.

Research Internship at the Aizenberg group at Harvard University in Boston, United States of America. Supervised by M.A. Kang Rui Garrick Lim and Prof. Dr. Joanna Aizenberg.

September 2018 – July 2021

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Bachelor’s thesis entitled “The synthesis of the colloidal topological crystalline insulator Pb_1-xSn_xTe.” Supervised by MSc. Jara Vliem, Dr. Celso de Mello-Donega, Prof. Dr. Daniel Vanmaekelbergh