Research Projects

Photocatalysts use solar energy to generate electron-hole pairs, with the absolute potential and efficiency of these charge carrier generation and extraction determining the catalysis. Perovskites, with their high quantum yield of light absorption, electron-hole separation, migration of charge carriers, and tunable bandgaps, have gained significant interest as a photocatalytic material. However, the instability of perovskites in catalytic conditions and surface modification during catalysis have limited their use. The project aims to address this issue by addressing the stability issue of perovskites in water without compromising charge transport and other catalytic attributes. Stabilization strategies include encapsulation, interfacial layer engineering, and low polarity solvents. However, these strategies compromise the catalytic activity of perovskites. The project plans to use engineered amphiphiles to passivate perovskite surfaces, improving water stability and allowing easy access of reactants to the perovskite surface, leading to enhanced catalytic efficiency. The project also proposes designing water-stable plasmonic metal-perovskite nanocomposites for photocatalysis, particularly the H₂ evolution reaction and targeted selective organic reaction. The formation of hybrid perovskites will allow easy tuning of band energies via plasmon-exciton coupling and better charge separation. The study will use time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and transient absorption technique to study the charge dynamics between metal nanoparticles and perovskites.