Research Seminar of Prof. Kirk S. Schanze from the University of Texas at San Antonio

Lecture Time: 09:30 on 13th November, 2017

Lecture Room: C501 of Science and Innovation Building

Lecture Title:Chromophore-Catalyst Assemblies for Solar Fuels

Kirk S. Schanze

University of Texas at San Antonio

Abstract

The dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell (DSPEC) represents a novel approach to combining molecular chromophores and catalysts with semiconductors to effect light driven production of solar fuels. A multidisciplinary approach has been used to develop and study molecular and polymer assemblies for light driven water oxidation at a DSPEC photoanode and proton reduction at a photocathode. The work aims to understand mechanisms and dynamics for the photoprocesses occurring at the molecular/semiconductor interfaces. The talk will present an overview of work done during the past several years, involving the design, construction and study of molecular and polymer-based assemblies of light absorbing chromophores and catalysts, primarily aimed at water oxidation at the DSPEC anode.

References

· Leem, G.et al.Light-Driven Water Oxidation Using Polyelectrolyte Layer-by-Layer Chromophore–Catalyst AssembliesACS Energy Lett., 2016,1, 339–343.

· Jiang, J.et al.Polymer Chromophore-Catalyst Assembly for Solar Fuel GenerationACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2017,9, 19529–19534.

· Morseth, Z.et al.Interfacial Dynamics within an Organic Chromophore-Based Water Oxidation Molecular AssemblyACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2017,9, 16651–16659.

Biography

Kirk Schanze earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Florida State University in 1979 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. He was appointed a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1984-1986 and began his independent research career at the University of Florida in 1986. Schanze served as Professor of Chemistry and Chairman of the Organic Chemistry Division at the University of Florida. He was Distinguished Professor and held the Prominski Chair at the University of Florida until 2016. Since then he has held the Robert A Welch Distinguished University Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He served as a Senior Editor for Langmuir from 2000 – 2008 and Editor-in-Chief of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces since 2008. He has authored or co-authored 300 peer-reviewed articles on basic and applied research topics, with a primary focus on organic and organometallic materials chemistry, and is coinventor in 20 patents or disclosures.