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• 1 2021-07-23T16:55:09+00:00 Chelsey Cortes 5 plain 2021-07-28T15:16:47+00:00 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jerry LaRue
  Major/Minor: Major: Biochemistry and Microbiology / Minor: Spanish
  Title: Hot Electron Chemistry on Bimetallic Titanium Nitride and Ruthenium Core-Shell Nanoparticles
  Abstract:  Catalysts are an integral part of many chemical reactions that are used today. Modern catalysts, however, are not selective, nor are they efficient enough to satisfy today’s global challenges and in some instances, lead to an increase in pollution. Petroleum industries, in fact, are some of the most significant contributors of carbon monoxide pollution and hydrocarbon emissions resulting from the incomplete composition of petroleum. Bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles that are capable of generating very excited “hot electrons” due to their plasmonic properties are promising new form catalysts that can be potentially used to mitigate carbon monoxide pollution. Additionally, these core-shell nanoparticles can potentially be utilized to carry forward other photochemical reactions in an environmentally friendly manner while being cost-effective. This project aims to understand how the electronic structure of a photocatalyst can be tuned to allow the conversion of carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide or methanol. Currently, we have synthesized and are in the process of characterizing titanium nitride core nanoparticles with a transition metal, ruthenium, shell. Overall, these core-shell nanoparticles can have the potential to offer an efficient and selective framework required by the next generation of green photocatalysts.