Optimized dissymmetrical metal oxide heteronanostructures with enhanced charge carrier separation for solar energy conversion applications – OSCARE

Despite the tremendous interest of the scientific community in the dissymmetrization of metal oxide semiconducting nanoparticles (NPs), very few methods can produce efficiently highly dissymmetric systems at the nanoscale, especially metal oxide nanocatalysts for photocatalytic water splitting. The OSCARE project intends to introduce a new strategy to synthesize such dissymmetrical oxide heteronanostructures efficient for O2 (OER) and H2 (HER) evolution reactions by using a laser deposition method. Exploiting focused laser in millichannels, the strategy involves the asymmetric photodeposition of oxidation and/or reduction cocatalysts on metal oxide NPs exposing well-defined facets obtained by hydro/solvothermal routes under non-conventional activation methods. A full set of advanced characterizations will be implemented to study the morphology, optical and electronic properties of these nanosystems, and their ability to promote OER and HER reactions under sunlight illumination. The influence of both the type and size of the co-catalyst deposits on the photocatalytic activities will be thoroughly studied to determine the main factors ruling these properties. This project will thus make it possible to develop heterostructures with optimized charge carrier separation properties for applications in the field of solar energy conversion to produce solar fuels.