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Lecture Series: Plenary

Li-Chyong Chen, Director, Center of Atomic Initiative for New  Materials (AI-MAT), National Taiwan University (NTU), Taipei, Taiwan

“Recent Trends in Artificial Photosynthesis: Atomistic/Surface Design and Probing of Nano-photocatalysts”

Monday, May 22, 2023, 8:00 a.m.

Photocatalytic CO2 conversion to hydrocarbon fuels, which makes possible simultaneous solar energy harvesting and CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), is considered a killing-two-birds-with-one-stone approach to solving the energy and environmental problems. However, the development of solar fuels, or the so-called artificial photosynthesis, has been hampered by the low photon-to-fuel conversion efficiency of the photocatalysts and lack of the product selectivity. Recent advances in development of integrated nanostructured materials have offered unprecedented opportunity for photocatalytic CO2RR, as depicted in my recent invited review article [1]. Here, selective cases in nanomaterials, especially, atomistic design and synthesis of highly functioning nano-photocatalysts, will be illustrated [2-4]. Ascertaining the function of in-plane intrinsic defects and edge atoms is necessary for developing efficient photocatalysts. A perfect planar layer is usually inactive to catalysis. Vacancy clusters, as well as the reconstructed and imperfect edge configurations enable CO2 binding to form linear and bent molecules. To make the energy conversion techniques towards practical solutions, some key questions need to be addressed. For instance: What are the determining steps for CO2RR? Advancements in the in situ and operando synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopies, including X-ray absorption [5] and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc., along with various vibrational spectroscopies, such as Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electrochemical microscopy [6], have enabled scientists to probe the geometric, bonding and electronic information of the catalyst and obtain atomistic insights into the catalytic surfaces and reaction mechanisms. Selective cases utilizing these probing techniques will be illustrated.

References
1. S. Shit, I. Shown, R. Paul, K. H. Chen, J. Mondal and L. C. Chen, Nanoscale 12, 23301 (2020).
2. M. Qorbani, A. Sabbah, Y.-R. Lai, S. Kholimatussadiah, S. Quadir, C.-Y. Huang, I. Shown, Y.-F. Huang, M. Hayashi, K. H. Chen and L. C. Chen, Nature Comm. 13, article number 1256 (2022).
3. A. Sabbah, I. Shown, F.-Y. Fu, M. Qorbani, T.-Y. Lin, H.-L. Wu, P.-W. Chung, C.-I. Wu, S. R. M. Santiago, J.-L. Shen, K. H. Chen and L. C. Chen, Nano Energy 93, 106809 (2022).
4. M. K. Hussien, A. Sabbah, M. Qorbani, M. H. Elsayed, P. Raghunath, T.-Y. Lin, S. Quadir, H.-Y. Wang, H.-L. Wu, D.-L. M. Tzou, M.-C. Lin, P.-W. Chung, H.-H. Chou, L. C. Chen and K. H. Chen, Chem. Engineering J. 430, 132853 (2022).
5. H. T. Lien, S. T. Chang, P. T. Chen, D. P. Wong, Y. C. Chang, Y. R. Lu, C. L. Dong, K. H. Chen and L. C. Chen, Nature Comm. 11, article number 4233 (2020).
6. H. Y. Du, Y. F. Huang, D. P. Wong, M. F. Tseng, Y. H. Lee, C. H. Wang, C. L. Lin, G. Hoffmann, K. H. Chen and L. C. Chen, Nature Comm. 12, article number 1321 (2021).

Biography

Dr. Li-Chyong Chen received her B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University (NTU) in 1981, and her Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University (1989); afterward, she worked at the Materials Research Center in General Electric Corporate R&D, Schenectady, New York (1989–1994), before she joined the Center for Condensed Matter Sciences (CCMS), NTU. Li-Chyong was the Director of CCMS (2012-2018), is now the Director of the Center of Atomic Initiative for New Materials (AI-Mat) since 2018, and also a jointly appointed Professor of Physics Department since 2021. AI-Mat is a featured research center by the Sprout Project under the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Taiwan. Her group is specialized in low-dimensional nanomaterials and their applications for optoelectronics, energy, and sensing. Li-Chyong is a Fellow of both the Physical Society and Vacuum Society in Taiwan and the Materials Research Society (MRS) in the USA. She has received a number of national and international honors, such as a Laureate of the 22nd Khwarizmi International Award, twice the Outstanding Research Award by the National Science and Technology Council, the MoE Academic Award, and the Taiwan Outstanding Women in Science. Li-Chyong has been named an Academician of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials and most recently, the Academician of the Academia Sinica. She has organized numerous international symposia, including ICMCTF, ECS, and MRS, and was also appointed as one of the four meeting chairs for the MRS Fall Meeting. She was a member of the Board of Directors for MRS and served the Commission on Structure and Dynamics of Condensed Matter in International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.