This starter grant award to Purdue University supports the research of Professor Raftery. The theme of the research is surface chemistry in a variety of atomic-size photocatalytic particle systems. The goal is to develop a clearer picture of surface structure and reactivity of semiconductor phtocatalysts. Optical methods are applied to initiate chemical reactions at the surfaces of the photocatalysis, while high resolution methods in solid state and liquid phase NMR spectroscopy are used for detection. NMR methods are used to probe the structure of adsorbed reactants and products, measure the reaction kinetics, and identify intermediate or transient species in several important model reactions. This research combines optical and NMR methods to study gas and liquid phase photocatalysts to advance fundamental understanding of the nature of photocatalytic reactivity.
