New perspectives in photocatalysis and near-surface chemistry: catalysis meets plasmonics
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Reducing the energy requirements and steering reactions to desired products in key chemical processes involved in the production of fuels and energy carriers for a net-zero economy and for environmental clean-up are some of the most pressing demands for a future sustainable society. This challenge is intimately linked to efficient use of the most abundant energy source available to us, light. Light also provides us with the means to control reaction pathways, opening in turn further opportunities to define new routes to the next generation of pharmaceuticals. We propose to develop a comprehensive research programme in order to understand, and harness, the application of a unified approach for harvesting light energy and channelling it to achieve required chemical outputs, with reduced generation of unwanted or hazardous by-products, using the extraordinary properties of surface plasmons, charge-density waves excited in metallic nanostructures by light. These excitations enable efficient use of electromagnetic radiation over a broad wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the infrared, while at the same time passing this energy on to energetic charge carriers and lattice oscillations, hence providing an efficient pathway from light to excited electronic states of molecules adsorbed at surfaces as well as to local heat. This combination can induce chemical transformations with lower activation barriers for chemical reactions and open up new paradigms for controlling chemical reactions switchable with light. It is here the research fields of plasmonics and catalysis meet. Our team, consisting of key experts from the UK plasmonics and catalysis communities, will explore new research directions enabled by applying plasmonic advances to catalysis (plasmo-catalysis) in order to achieve impact on technologies which are of enormous importance for a future sustainable society. The combination of superior light harvesting and tuning of reaction dynamics that this new field offers will open up a wealth of new possibilities to tackle key challenges in catalysis. In a unified approach based on fundamental research on plasmo-catalytic nanomaterials and nanostructures, we will develop common design and methodology principles and apply them to chemical reactions important in clean fuel production, environmental monitoring and clean-up, as well as pharmaceuticals manufacture. We will establish new strategies for light-driven chemical reaction pathways amenable to industrial scale-up, while at the same time educating a new set of highly interdisciplinary researchers equipped with a key set of skills needed for the advancement of a future sustainable society.
Organisations
- King's College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- Sasol Technology Research Laboratory (Project Partner)
- Saudi Arabia Basic Industries (Saudi Arabia) (Project Partner)
- Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Qinetiq (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- National Physical Laboratory (Project Partner)
- Shell (Netherlands) (Project Partner)
- Pilkington (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Johnson Matthey (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
Publications
Mancini A
(2022)
Near-Field Retrieval of the Surface Phonon Polariton Dispersion in Free-Standing Silicon Carbide Thin Films
in ACS Photonics
Ma T
(2022)
Low Band Gap Perovskite Concentrator Solar Cells: Physics, Device Simulation, and Experiment.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
Lo TW
(2022)
Plasmonic Nanocavity Induced Coupling and Boost of Dark Excitons in Monolayer WSe2 at Room Temperature.
in Nano letters
Liu L
(2023)
Waveguide-Integrated Light-Emitting Metal-Insulator-Graphene Tunnel Junctions.
in Nano letters
Kühner L
(2023)
Unlocking the out-of-plane dimension for photonic bound states in the continuum to achieve maximum optical chirality
in Light: Science & Applications
Kühner L
(2023)
High-Q Nanophotonics over the Full Visible Spectrum Enabled by Hexagonal Boron Nitride Metasurfaces.
in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Kühner L
(2022)
Radial bound states in the continuum for polarization-invariant nanophotonics.
in Nature communications
Description | Newton International Fellowships 2022 (Dr Tsz Wing Lo) |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NIF\R1\221476 |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2023 |
End | 01/2025 |
Description | EPSRC engineering net zero week |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The team participated in EPSRC engineering net zero week, to disseminate information about the project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.ukri.org/events/epsrc-engineering-net-zero-showcase/ |
Description | Future Photonics Hub Industry Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Two members of the team had a stand in the exhibition to disseminate information about the project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.photonicshubuk.org/shaping-the-future-of-photonics-at-the-hub-industry-day/ |
Description | Imperial Lates: Tiny Science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A research associate was invited to attend Imperial Lates, Tiny Science to showcase artwork that was designed for a previous project, so explain light matter interactions with nanomaterials. The events are very well attended by members of the public, and the stand was visited by many members of the public, which sparked discussions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/242191/materials-researchers-showcase-innovative-tiny-science/ |
Description | London Plasmonics Forum 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The London Plasmonics Forum was hosted by CPLAS at Imperial College London. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | STEM for Britain 2023 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Research associate participated in STEM for Britain at the Houses of Parliament organized by the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee to disseminate project findings. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://stemforbritain.org.uk |