Engineering HDR Seminar Series (No.21, 2015)

Wed, 25 March, 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Room 5422

“Study, Design and Development of Graphene-Based TiO2 Photocatalysts and its Application in the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide”

Presenter: Ms Tan Lling Lling, postgraduate students of Chemical Discipline , School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia

The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is universally accepted as the most prominent cause of global warming. Considerable effort has been devoted to reducing CO2 emissions. A desirable approach is to harness the power of CO2 on a large scale and integrate it back into the utilization cycle as a sustainable form of energy production. The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into hydrocarbon resources such as methane is an interesting option. However, the state-of-the-art technology is far from being optimal and there are still several breakthroughs to be made before it can be considered as an economically viable process. The problem is that the vast majority of photocatalysts exhibit low photoresponse towards visible-light, thus resulting in low photoconversion efficiencies. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is by far the most researched photocatalytic material, also suffers from a narrow light-response range and can only be excited under ultraviolet (UV)-light irradiation. A variety of strategies have been used to enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 photocatalysts, the most recent being the incorporation of carbon nanomaterials to form carbon–TiO2 composites. Owing to its superior electron mobility, high thermal conductivity and large specific surface area, graphene, in particular, is regarded as an extremely attractive component for the preparation of composite materials. The homogeneous anchoring of TiO2photocatalysts onto graphene presents the opportunity to cover all mechanisms of photocatalytic enhancement, including rapid charge separation and an extended light absorption range.

Contact details: Wan Nurul Rukiah Wan Rasdi wan.nurul@monash.edu@eng.monash.edu.my Tel: 03-55146224