Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

A new perspective for harvesting solar energy on nanostructurated hybrid carbon-based materials - Polluted water, hydrogen photoproduction, solar and fuel cells applications

3^rd International Conference on Nanotek & Expo

December 02-04, 2013 Hampton Inn Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Juan Matos

Accepted Abstracts: J Nanomed Nanotechnol

Abstract:

Applications of nanostructured C-based materials are shown in this plenary. Nanocrystalline C-doped TiO 2 hybrid hollow spheres were prepared by solvothermal synthesis from mixtures of furfural, chitosan or saccharose with titanium isopropoxide. Origin of carbon influences texture, crystalline framework, optical and photo electrochemistry properties of TiO 2 . The results indicate that the C-TiO 2 hybrid hollow spheres may be used as TiO 2 -based film electrodes in solar cells with an enhancement of solar energy conversion. Au-supported on C-based materials were prepared and used for hydrogen photoproduction under visible light irradiation. Results showed 3 times higher photoactivity than a commercial photocatalysts attributed to an increase in the resonance plasmon of gold. Photoactivity of S-doped nanoporous carbons was tested using photocurrent generation, cyclic voltammetry and photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under artificial solar irradiation. Results were compared against those on N-doped and on unmodified carbons and on a commercial TiO 2 . An exposure to ambient light has a strong effect on an open circuit potential indicating the strong activity of S-doped carbons in oxidation reactions. The activity in the process of MB degradation was up to about 3 and 6 times higher in mixtures containing S-doped and N-doped carbons than that on a commercial TiO 2 . The extent of photoactivity depends both on the composition of the activated carbon and on the sulfur and nitrogen content suggesting harvesting solar energy for environmental and green chemistry applications is possible. Finally, recent approaches of nanostructured Pd/C-based materials in fuel cells nanotechnology are discussed

Biography :

Juan Matos completed his doctorate in Physics and Chemistry of Surface at the Central School of Lyon (France) and the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC, Venezuela) in 1999. He studied the influence of carbon in heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalytic reactions with different potential applications as solar nanotechnology by using membranes, nanomaterials, solar photoreactors and green chemistry approaches. He was the founder and head of the Department of Catalysis and Alternative Energies at IVIC. He currently has about 65 papers published in high impact journals, about 900 citations and h-factor 13.