Using sunlight to facilitate and promote valuable chemical reactions is an ideal solution to the challenge of meeting future energy demands.  Our group aims to address fundamental questions concerning surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-mediated interfacial electron transfer (ET) and photothermal heating in order to develop new materials and strategies for efficiently converting solar energy to chemical energy.  In this talk, I will show how we unambiguously reveal the mechanics of plasmon-mediated electron transfer (PMET) in Au/TiO₂ heterostructures under visible light (λ > 515 nm) during in situ operation.  I will further discuss how we directly probe the relaxation dynamics and energetics of the transferred “effective hot electrons” that participate in photocatalytic reactions.  I will explore some strategies for manipulating “hot electrons” for the rational design and construction of a new class of multi-component solar photocatalysts for efficiently producing H₂ from water.  Finally, I will touch on our recent effort to use SPR-mediated photothermal effects to synthesize hybrid bimetallic nanomaterials and then use these nanomaterials to oxidize CO in the presence of visible light.
Biography

W. David Wei joined the University of Florida in August 2009 as an assistant professor working in analytical, physical, and materials chemistry with research interests in novel electronic and optical properties of metallic and semiconductor nanomaterials and their applications in solar energy harvesting, conversion and storage; visible-light photocatalysis; and chemical and biological detection.  David received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin with Mike White and trained as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University with Chad Mirkin.  He has also held a visiting research position at Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL).  David has more than forty publications, thirty invited talks, and five pending patents, and he is a member of the American Chemical Society and American Vacuum Society.  He has been awarded a summer fellowship at PNNL, the 2010 ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, the 2011 Sigma Xi Junior Faculty Research Award, the 2013 UF-HHMI Science for Life Distinguished Mentor Award, and the 2014 CLAS faculty Adviser/Mentor of the Year Award.  Most recently, David has been recognized with a CAREER award from NSF.