Full metadata
Title
Investigation of Amorphous Photocatalysts for Applications in Solar Water Splitting
Description
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the properties of amorphous and crystalline NaTaO3 to determine what makes amorphous NaTaO3 a suitable photocatalyst for water splitting applications. Amorphous and nanocrystalline NaTaO3 were synthesized and characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The photocatalytic activity of the materials was analyzed using methylene blue degradation as an indicator of photocatalytic activity. The amorphous material showed significant photocatalytic activity in methylene blue degradation experiments, removing 100% of a 0.1 mmol methylene blue solution in 20 minutes, compared to the monoclinic crystalline NaTaO3, which showed negligible photocatalytic activity. Additional electrochemical characterization studies were carried out with methyl viologen (MV2+) to determine the band structure of the materials. Performing these synthesis and characterization has provided insight into further investigation of amorphous NaTaO3 and what makes the material an effective and inexpensive photocatalyst.
Date Created
2014-05
Contributors
- Rorrer, Julie Elaine (Author)
- Chan, Candace (Thesis director)
- Bertoni, Mariana (Committee member)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
- Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
52 pages
Language
eng
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Series
Academic Year 2013-2014
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.23344
Level of coding
minimal
Cataloging Standards
System Created
- 2017-10-30 02:50:57
System Modified
- 2021-08-11 04:09:57
- 3 years 2 months ago
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