Pohang University of Science and Technology · Energy
Professor Wooyul Kim's research lab specializes in developing advanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical systems for sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation. The lab focuses on designing nanomaterials—particularly metal oxide semiconductors like TiO2, WO3, and their core-shell heterostructures—for efficient solar-driven processes such as CO2 reduction, water splitting, and pollutant degradation. A key research direction involves engineering surface and interfacial properties (e.g., via ALD overlayers, co-catalysts, or protective layers like Al2O3 and Nafion) to suppress charge recombination, enhance charge separation, and improve selectivity and stability. The lab also employs advanced in situ and single-molecule techniques to probe elementary reaction dynamics at the nanoscale, aiming to bridge molecular-level mechanisms with macroscopic performance.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
In real-time measurements, CO dimerization occurred concurrently with CO adsorption (∼5 s), while proton-coupled reduction toward *CHO has slower kinetics (∼30 s).
Abstract The generation of oxidants on illuminated photocatalysts and their participation in subsequent reactions are the main basis of the widely investigated photocatalytic processes for environmental remediation and selective oxidation. Here, the generation and the subsequent diffusion of . OH from the illuminated TiO 2 surface to the solution bulk were directly observed using a single‐molecule detection method and this molecular phenomenon could explain the different macroscopic behavior of
The reduction of carbon dioxide by water with sunlight in an artificial system offers an opportunity for utilizing non-arable land for generating renewable transportation fuels to replace fossil resources. Because of the very large scale required for the impact on fuel consumption, the scalability of artificial photosystems is of key importance. Closing the photosynthetic cycle of carbon dioxide reduction and water oxidation on the nanoscale addresses major barriers for scalability as well as hi
Dye-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles that were loaded simultaneously with Pt and Al2O3 overlayer (Al2O3/TiO2/Pt) were synthesized and investigated for photocatalytic activity under visible light. Introducing a thin AI,03 overlayer (similar to 1 nm thick) on dye-sensitized TiO2 markedly enhanced the visible light activities for the production of hydrogen (in the presence of EDTA as an electron donor) and the dechlorination Of CCl4. The Al2O3/TiO2/Pt powder was characterized by HRTEM, EDX, and XPS. I
Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is being investigated as one of the most promising materials for water oxidation using solar light. Its inherent surface-related drawbacks (e.g., fast charge recombination caused by surface defect sites, the formation of surface peroxo-species, etc.) are nowadays being progressively overcome by different methods, such as surface passivation and the deposition of co-catalysts. Among them, the role of surface passivation is still poorly understood. Herein, transparent WO3 (
Introducing a thin Nafion layer on Pd-deposited TiO2 nanoparticles markedly enhances the photosynthetic conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbons (mainly methane and ethane) in an aqueous suspension (without any sacrificial electron donor) under UV and solar irradiation conditions.
Hydrogen was successfully produced under visible light irradiation in a tin porphyrin (SnP)-sensitized TiO2 system in the wide pH range (pH 3–11) although SnP hardly adsorbs on TiO2. The number of H2 produced in the SnP/TiO2 system after 9 h irradiation corresponds to the turnover number of 410. The apparent photonic efficiency for H2 evolution was estimated to be 35% with the monochromatic radiation of 550 ± 10 nm. The photochemical production of hydrogen is mediated through the formation of th
Artificial photosynthesis is an attractive approach for renewable fuel generation because it offers the prospect of a technology suitable for deployment on highly abundant, non-arable land. Recent leaps forward in the development of efficient and durable light absorbers and catalysts for oxygen evolution and the growing attention to catalysts for carbon dioxide activation brings into focus the tasks of hierarchically integrating the components into assemblies for closing of the photosynthetic cy
An all-inorganic polynuclear unit consisting of an oxo-bridged binuclear ZrOCo(II) group coupled to an iridium oxide nanocluster (IrO(x)) was assembled on an SBA-15 silica mesopore surface. A photodeposition method was developed that affords coupling of the IrO(x) water oxidation catalyst with the Co donor center. The approach consists of excitation of the ZrOCo(II) metal-to-metal charge-transfer (MMCT) chromophore with visible light in the presence of [Ir(acac)3] (acac: acetylacetonate) precurs
Electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction reaction (CO<sub>2</sub>RR) is greatly facilitated by Au surfaces. However, large fractions of underlying Au atoms are generally unused during the catalytic reaction, which limits mass activity. Herein, we report a strategy for preparing efficient electrocatalysts with high mass activities by the atomic-level transplantation of Au active sites into a Ni<sub>4</sub> nanocluster (NC). While the Ni<sub>4</sub> NC exclusively produces H<sub>2</sub>, the Au-t
A photocatalyst heterogenized in discrete cages of metal–organic polyhedra provides highly active and robust conversion of carbon dioxide.
Visible light photocatalysis using water-soluble tin porphyrin (s-SnP, [Sn(OH2)2(TPyHP)](NO3)6) and water-insoluble tin porphyrin Sn(OH)2(TPP) (ins-SnP) immobilized on SiO2 (hetero-SnP) was investigated. The visible light photocatalytic activities of s-SnP and hetero-SnP were demonstrated successfully for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and acid orange 7 (AO7) in water. The visible light activity of hetero-SnP increased with the ins-SnP loading and was saturated above 77 mg/g-SiO2, whic
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