Poster Presentation 27
Layered Material to Capture Sunlight for Water-Splitting Catalysis
Kevin Lutch1, Oluwagbenga Iyiola1, Srimanta Pakhira1 and Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes1,2*
1
Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University,
Scientific Computing Department, Materials Science and Engineering Program, High Performance Materials Institute, Condensed
Matter Theory, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
2
Abstract: Water remains potentially the most abundant energy reserve on the earth as it contains a huge amount
of H2 which can be used directly as a fuel or utilized by reducing CO2 into liquid fuels such as methanol [1].
However, the oxidation of water to yield its constituents require additional energy. Over the years, nature has
successfully engineered plants to split water using the stored energy from the sun in a process known as
photosynthesis. At the heart of this process is the oxygen evolution center (OEC) composed of Mn4O5Ca in a
cubane-like structure [2]. Taking inspiration from these green plants, we are developing new materials that can
reduce the additional energy (overpotential) required to oxidize w ]\