This starter grant award to North Carolina State University supports the research of Professor Daniel L. Feldheim. The research focusses on photocatalysis at isolated and aligned metal particles. Porous polymer and oxide membranes, with pores ranging in diameter from 1 nm to 300 nm, are used as templates for the synthesis of photocatalytically-active metal particles. The metal particles are used for the systematic investigation of the effects of particle composition, size, aspect ratio, and alignment with respect to incident radiation on heterogeneous photocatalytic reactions. The research will advance the fundamental understanding of the geometric factors that govern the kinetics and mechanisms of photoreactions at small metal particle surfaces. The research may lead to more environmentally-friendly routes to the synthesis of industrially important organic compounds.
