Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Advancements Toward Sustainable Solar Fuel Production Utilizing Reductive Homogeneous Electro- And Photocatalysis, Hunter Pratt Shirley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular CO2 and H+ reductive catalysts, whether they be electro- or photocatalytic, have been shown to be possible routes of harnessing solar energy in a clean, renewable manner. There are few electrocatalysts operating at reasonable overpotentials to prove useful in artificial photosynthetic systems, and there are a number of environmental factors within these systems that have yet to be evaluated. Photo-driven catalysis is rare, difficult to control, and rarely provides high-value CO2 reduction products. I report herein an exceptionally low overpotential H+ reduction catalyst, a method of modulating electrocatalysts in-situ to improve performance, a first-of-its-kind mononuclear proton reduction photocatalyst, a …