Design of Nanostructured Materials for Water Splitting

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Harun Tüysüz
• Subject Area: Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: from 2010 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 174390247

The importance of hydrogen energy has recently been recognized again, especially for utilization in fuel cells due to the environmental issues. Water splitting (conversion of water to hydrogen and oxygen gases) using a photocatalyst (convert solar energy into clean hydrogen energy by splitting water) is a challenging reaction due to the fact that it is one of the most important reactions for solving energy and environmental problems. Researchers have spent a lot of effort on the creation of catalysts for water splitting. However, effective water splitting catalysts, which can be commercialized, have not yet been reported. In this project, novel nanostructured catalysts will be designed for water splitting. Thus, various types of nanostructured materials with different size, shape and morphology will be created and tested in water splitting reaction for the production of hydrogen and oxygen gas via electro- and photocatalysis. This kind of study will help to increase the knowledge in this research field and discover highly efficient water splitting catalysis for solving world energy problems on the basis of renewable resources.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Peidong Yang