Weiyong Yuan

Title : Self-assembled hematite-based core-shell nanostructured arrays as photoanodes for water splitting

Abstract:

Significantly boosting the water splitting performance of the hematite-based photoanodes is highly challenging but desirable for realizing their practical applications. Self-assembly of water oxidation catalysts on hematite to form core-shell structures could be a promising strategy. Our group has previously developed various effective WOR catalysts and demonstrated their applications for electrochemical water splitting. We have also fabricated various TiO₂ and ZnO-based composite photoanodes for enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting utilizing the effects of sensitizers and n-p heterojunctions. Based on these achievements, we are recently exploring the self-assembly of hematite-based core-shell heteronanostructured array for PEC water splitting. In this presentation, I will introduce our work on the design, self-assembly, PEC water splitting applications, and enhancement mechanism of the hematite-based core-shell nanostructured arrays. This study could not only provide novel strategies for developing highly efficient hematite-based photoanodes for water splitting, but shed light on the mechanism for self-assembly and for synergistic effects of the core-shell structures, which can be further extended for broad applications in the fields such as sensing, energy, and environment.  

What will audience learn from your presentation?

• The audience will learn new approaches to prepare core-shell nanostructured arrays.
• The audience will learn design principles for obtaining high-performance hematite-based photoanodes for waters splitting.
• This study will provide scientific insights into mechanisms for self-assembly and for high photoelectrochemical water oxidation performance.

Biography:

Prof. Yuan receive his Ph. D degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and now he works in Zhejiang University, China as an Associate Professor. His research is focused on molecular/nanoscale self-assembly and its applications in energy conversion and storage, including electrochemical/photoelectrochemical water splitting and fuel cells. He has published over 90 high-quality papers (with an h-index of 32), among which over 50 are first or corresponding-authored, 12 are published in journals with impact factors >12.