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Project

Innovative hybrid materials consisting of molecular photosensitizers coupled to plasmonic nanoparticles: beyond the limits of sensitive photo-electrocatalytic detection of phenolic contaminants.

Phenolic compounds are massively used in various industries (e.g. pharmaceutical, oil, paper and plastic production), with an estimated global demand for phenol increased to 13.5 million tons in 2020. Taking into consideration the persistent nature of phenols and the threats they pose to human health and aquatic biota, there is a growing need to detect phenolic compounds in (waste) water at relevant concentrations (sub-ppb), for a better surveillance and control of water pollution. Several electrochemical enzyme based biosensors have been reported in the literature for phenol detection, most of which are based on Horseradish Peroxidase. However, enzymatic biosensors in general suffer from many problems such as operational stability and storage stability. Therefore, the aim of this project is to construct an innovative hybrid materials for photo-electrocatalytic (PEC) detection of phenolic contaminants via the integration of nanomaterials. The candidate of the PhD project, Shahid Ullah Khan, has developed an original method to test the photocatalytic activity of type II photosensitizers (PS) which will be used to characterize the impact of the plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) on photosensitizing activities. He also studied the PEC behavior of type II PS on different TiO2 support materials. In this DOCPRO1 project, which is the last phase of the PhD of Shahid, he will continue his efforts to improve the sensitivity (sub-ppb range) of this strategy by the use of innovative hybrid materials consisting of a PS and plasmonic NPs. Additional to the PEC sensing application, this hybrid materials will be useful in a broader context such as energy conversion and pollutant treatment. The PhD student is currently appointed on a ERANET-RUSPLUS project with a duration of three years. No funding on the current topic, photo-electrochemical detect boosted by nanomaterials, is available for a fourth year.
Date:15 Jul 2021 →  14 Jul 2022
Keywords:SENSOR MATERIALS
Disciplines:Electrochemical methods, Hybrid composites, Nanomaterials