Conférence du Professeur Aicheng Chen (Lakehead)

Titre : Nanostructured Catalyst Design for Green Chemistry Applications.

La conférence sera prononcée par le professeur Aicheng Chen du Département de chimie de la Lakehead University. Elle sera donnée en anglais. 

Résumé : Catalysis plays a key role in chemical production, energy processing, air purification, water treatment, food processing and life sciences. Nanostructured materials with high surface areas have received widespread interest in electrocatalysis and photocatalysis due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this talk, I will present the electrocatalytic activity of Pt and Pd based nanomaterials and the catalysis of TiO₂ based nanostructured photocatalysts. Pd possesses several exceptional properties that enable promising applications in hydrogen purification, storage and detection. The significant roles of Pd based nanomaterials in the development of a hydrogen economy will be highlighted. Platinum-based catalysts are vital to fuel cells, sensors, and the petroleum and automotive industries; the design of high-performance Pt based electrocatalysts will be discussed. TiO₂ is considered as one of the most promising photocatalysts due to its non-toxicity, high stability and cost effectiveness. The main drawback of TiO₂ is the large band gap energy; UV irradiation is required to initiate its photochemical process. The modification of the TiO₂ nanomaterials to achieve a visible light response will be presented. Potential electronic interactions and synergistic effects between the TiO₂ nanotubes and the supported Pt nanoparticles will also be discussed.

Lien 1 : page web du Professeur Chen
Lien 2 : Chaire de recherche du Canada en matériaux et chimie environnementale