Nanocatalyst Research Laboratory

Most of our concerns nowadays are environmentally benign energy conversion processes, which mean converting chemically very stable wastes - carbon dioxide, dirty water, NOx, etc. - into value-added products, such as hydrogen, methanol, CO, ethylene, and ethanol by using renewable energy sources. Hence, our ultimate target is establishing design principles of nanocatalysts for photochemical and electrochemical activation of small molecules using renewable energies - more strictly, from sunlight. Plasmonic metals are advantageous in in-situ monitoring using dark-field microscopy due to their strong responses to visible light. The wavelength of this scattered light from localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is closely related to electron density on the particle surface, especially for nanoparticles. These characteristics can be tracked at a single-particle level, which enables powerful and detailed studies for various nanoscale reactions, such as Galvanic exchange, the Kirkendall effect, and numerous electrochemical redox reactions occurring on the local surfaces. We are thoroughly investigating chemistry on well-defined nanostructures and surfaces. We have generated numerous nanostructures with uniform morphologies and studied various catalytic functions stimulated by renewable energy sources. We now focus on nano-assemblies for multi-dimensional functions and small molecule activation by photo- and electrochemical processes using designed nanoparticles. Starting from the model catalysts, we explore fundamental principles of nanocatalyst design exhibiting high conversion efficiency and selectivity of energy conversion reactions, such as hydrogen generation and carbon dioxide reduction, and pursue to establish green chemical processes beneficial for human life on Eart