Three-part nano-catalyst and use thereof for photocatalysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11446649-B2
Application number	US-201716342589-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Oct 17, 2016
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a nanocatalyst-type nanoscale composition including a nanoparticle semiconductor, plasmonic metal nanoparticles and an organic photosensitiser of the carbo-mer type. Also disclosed is a method for producing such a nano-catalyst. Also disclosed is use of the nanocatalyst for photoelectrolysis, in particular, for the photoelectrolysis of water, as well as to a power source including the nanocatalyst.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A three part nano-catalyst comprising:
a semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form;
nanoparticles of plasmonic metal; and
an organic photo-sensitizer that is a carbo-mer.

2. The nano-catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form is a metal oxide.

3. The nano-catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the plasmonic metal is gold, silver, copper, aluminium or platinum.

4. The nano-catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the carbo-mer is a carbo-benzene.

5. The nano-catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles of plasmonic metal are located on the surface of the semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form.

6. The nano-catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form, and/or the nanoparticles of plasmonic metal are coated with the photosensitizer.

7. A method for fabricating a three-part nano-catalyst according to claim 1 comprising the following steps:
(1a) mixing a semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form with an organic photosensitizer;
(1b) mixing the composition obtained at step (1a) with a complex comprising an ion of a plasmonic metal;
(2) irradiating the composition obtained at step (1b) under electromagnetic radiation.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the complex comprising an ion of the plasmonic metal is an amidinate or carboxylate of silver, gold, copper, aluminium or platinum.

9. A process for producing hydrogen comprising applying an effective amount of the three-part nano-catalyst according to claim 1 .

10. A power supply device, comprising a three-part nano-catalyst according to claim 1 .

11. The three-part nano-catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the organic photo-sensitizer is a carbo-benzene or carbo-n-butadiene.

12. The three-part nano-catalyst of claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form is selected from the group consisting of: tin oxide, indium oxide, gallium oxide, tungsten oxide, copper oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide and titanium oxide.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step (1b) is followed by an agitation step (1c).

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation of step (2) is sunlight.

15. The nano-catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the carbo-mer is selected from the group consisting of 4-[10-(4-aminophenyl)-4,7,13,16-tetraphenylcyclooctadeca-1,2,3,7,8,9,13,14,15-nonaen-5,11,17-triyn-1-yl]aniline or 4,4′ ((4,7,13,16-tetraphenylcyclooctadeca-1,2,3,7,8,9,13,14,15-nonaen-5,11,17-triyne-1,10-diyl)bis(ethyne-2,1-diyl))dianiline.

16. The three-part nano-catalyst of claim 11 , wherein the semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form is selected from the group consisting of: tin oxide, indium oxide, gallium oxide, tungsten oxide, copper oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide and titanium oxide.

17. The nano-catalyst according to claim 11 , wherein the carbo-mer is selected from the group consisting of 4-[10-(4-aminophenyl)-4,7,13,16-tetraphenylcyclooctadeca-1,2,3,7,8,9,13,14,15-nonaen-5,11,17-triyn-1-yl]aniline or 4,4′ ((4,7,13,16-tetraphenylcyclooctadeca-1,2,3,7,8,9,13,14,15-nonaen-5,11,17-triyne-1,10-diyl)bis(ethyne-2,1-diyl))dianiline.

18. The nano-catalyst according to claim 11 , wherein the plasmonic metal is gold, silver, copper, aluminium or platinum.

19. The nano-catalyst according to claim 11 , wherein the nanoparticles of plasmonic metal are located on the surface of the semiconductor in nanoparticulate or nanorod form.

Assignees

• Centre Nat Rech Scient
• Cure Jeremy
• Univ Rennes
• Univ Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier

Inventors

• Cure Jérémy
• Kahn Myrtil
• Cocq Kévin
• Casterou Gérald
• Chauvin Rémi
• Maraval Valérie
• Assi Hala

Classifications

• B01J35/45

  Nanoparticles · CPC title

• B01J23/80

  with zinc, cadmium or mercury · CPC title

• B01J23/54

  combined with metals, oxides or hydroxides provided for in groups B01J23/02 - B01J23/36 · CPC title

• B01J19/127

  Sunlight; Visible light · CPC title

• B01J23/72

  Copper · CPC title