Topical Symposium 4
Semiconductor photocatalysis is becoming a popular method for surface depollution and decontamination in the 21st century. A photocatalytic process can be defined as the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of a catalyst. Practical applications of photocatalysts include water splitting and green solar fuel production, chemical synthesis, and the degradation of organic pollutants and surface disinfection. The photocatalytic phenomenon is often also associated with the development of photoinduced superhydrophilic properties, which provides a ‘self-cleaning’ effect at the surface, which has been exploited in, for example, large area glazing applications.Titanium dioxide remains the most studied and practically used photocatalytic material, owing to its chemical and biological stability, low cost and non-toxicity. However, for practical exploitation of the photocatalytic process to real-life processes, the quantum efficiency of pristine titanium dioxide may not be sufficient. Solving this issue is one of the main objectives in modern photocatalytic research, where the proposed techniques range from modifications of titanium dioxide (via metal and non-metal doping, coupling with another semiconductor, or the introduction of crystal lattice defects) to the use of alternative, non-titania, semiconductors with higher quantum efficiency. This Topical Symposium will address: Industrial applications of photocatalytic and superhydrophilic materials; Water splitting applications and characterisation; Chemical synthesis via photocatalysis; Measurement of photocatalytic activity and superhydrophilic behavior; film and particle characterisation techniques; Production techniques for photocatalytic thin films and particles; Alternative materials and new applications.
TS4. Invited Speakers:
- Josef Krysa, University of Chemistry and Technology, Czech Republic, “Hematite and Titania Thin Films: Energy and Environmental Applications”
- Suresh Pillai, Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research & Nanotechnology and Bio-Engineering Research Division, Ireland, “Industrial Applications of Photocatalytic and Superhydrophilic Materials”