Aluminum Nanocrystals as a Plasmonic Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Dissociation

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dc.contributor.advisorHalas, Naomi Jen_US
dc.creatorZhang, Chaoen_US
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-02T18:55:50Zen_US
dc.date.available2017-08-02T18:55:50Zen_US
dc.date.created2016-05en_US
dc.date.issued2016-03-31en_US
dc.date.submittedMay 2016en_US
dc.date.updated2017-08-02T18:55:50Zen_US
dc.description.abstractHydrogen dissociation is a critical step in many hydrogenation reactions central to industrial chemical production and pollutant removal. This step typically utilizes the favorable band structure of precious metal catalysts like platinum and palladium to achieve high efficiency under mild conditions. Here we demonstrate that aluminum nanocrystals (Al NCs), when illuminated, can be used as a photocatalyst for hydrogen dissociation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, despite the high activation barrier toward hydrogen adsorption and dissociation. We show that hot electron transfer from Al NCs to the antibonding orbitals of hydrogen molecules facilitates their dissociation. Hot electrons generated from surface plasmon decay and from direct photoexcitation of the interband transitions of Al both contribute to this process. Our results pave the way for the use of aluminum, an earth-abundant, nonprecious metal, for photocatalysis.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationZhang, Chao. "Aluminum Nanocrystals as a Plasmonic Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Dissociation." (2016) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/96256">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/96256</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/96256en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectPlasmonic photocatalysisen_US
dc.subjectaluminum nanocrystalsen_US
dc.subjecthydrogen dissociationen_US
dc.subjecthot electronen_US
dc.subjectinterband transitionen_US
dc.titleAluminum Nanocrystals as a Plasmonic Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Dissociationen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentElectrical and Computer Engineeringen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineeringen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen_US
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