The Development of a stable cuprous oxide nanocatalyst for photoelectrochemical proton reduction

Alternative energy is a rapidly growing field due to the abundance of greenhouse gasses produced by the use of fossil fuels. This project focuses on the creation of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and methanol using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices that catalyzes the reduction of pre-fuel compounds like hydronium and carbon dioxide (CO2). A light-absorbing catalytic electrode is fabricated using an clear and conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass as a base whose surface is first loaded with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using a block copolymer template. In a second step, highly absorbing copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) is electrodeposited onto the ITO using the Au NPs as nucleation sites to control the size and form of the Cu2O. A thin titanium oxide (TiO2) coating was then applied to as an anti-corrosion layer that protects the Cu2O from the harsh conditions typical of the photoelectrochemical reduction of hydronium or CO2. The catalytic activity and specificity of the photoelectrochemical device was tested using advanced electrochemical methods such as linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV)