Micaela Homer

Photocatalysis is valuable to clean energy research because it allows the storage of solar energy in stable, energy dense chemical bonds. Solution processability and ease of chemical modification make semiconductor nanostructures ideal candidates for applications in photoredox catalysis. The rate of charge transfer is an important benchmark in evaluating such a system. Spectroscopic measurements of charge transfer (picoseconds) are incommensurate with the timescale of typical photocatalytic reactions (minutes). Electrochemical experiments will be an attractive alternative for screening of photocatalytic systems when coupled with electrochemical modeling.

Advisor: Brandi Cossairt – Chemistry