Topic: New heterogeneous photocatalysts designed for solar-to-fuel conversion

Speaker: Dr. Kazuhiko Maeda，
　　　　　Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Time: 10:00-12:00,  (Thur.) Apr.14^th , 2016

Venue: Room 468, Lee Hsun Building, IMR CAS

Welcome to attend!

Abstract:

Water splitting and CO2 fixation on particulate photocatalysts are of particular importance from the viewpoint of solar-to-fuel energy conversion toward artificial photosynthesis. To achieve these reactions, it is important to improve both bulk and surface properties of a photocatalyst so as to suppress electron–hole recombination and promote surface redox catalysis. In this presentation, recent progress on the development of new photocatalysts that are active for such artificial photosynthetic reactions will be given. In particular, surface modification techniques developed by our group to reduce the density of surface defects and/or to construct active sites for redox reactions will be presented.

Kazuhiko Maeda is the Associate Professor of Tokyo Institute of Technology. He received his PhD from The University of Tokyo in 2007. He worked as an assistant Professor for three years after a two-year JSPS research fellow appointment in The University of Tokyo, and then joined Tokyo Institute of Technology as an Associate Professor in 2012. He has published over 150 papers in the area of solar-driven photocatalysts for water splitting and CO₂ reduction in the top journals including Nature, Nature Material, J Am Chem Soc, Angew Chem Int Ed. These papers have received a wide attention with SCI citations of around 10000. For his contributions, he has received many awards including the Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemists (2013), 6^th PCCP Prize for Outstanding Achievement of Young Scientists, Royal Society of Chemistry (2012), and Excellent Lecture Award for Young Scientists in The 106th and 110th CSJ Meetings.