Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/N19281/01
Title:	TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SURFACE PHOTOCATALYTIC DECOMPOSITION OF H20
Principal Investigator:	King, Professor Sir D
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Fritz Haber Inst of the Max Planck Socie Leiden University UCL
Department:	Chemistry
Organisation:	University of Cambridge
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	30 June 2001	Ends:	29 June 2004	Value (£):	172,137
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Surfaces & Interfaces
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Chemicals Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 06 Jul 2000 Chemistry single panel July 2000 Deferred
Summary on Grant Application Form
The efficient photocatalytic conversion of water to hydrogen by solar energy is of crucial importance for the development of renewable, environmentally friendly energy sources (for example, hydrogen fuel cells). While there is a large amount of materials science engineering devoted to developing better photocatalytic systems, there is very little research into the fundamental principles under controlled and well-defined conditions.To fill this gap, we aim to obtain a fundamental understanding of the photochemistry of water on metal and metal oxide surfaces in ultra-high vacuum. Using state-of-the-art time-resolved femtosecond spectroscopic techniques we will study the bond making and breaking dynamics of water adsorbed on complex alkali-metal covered metal-oxide surfaces. We will vary the alkali metal type and coverage to learn how to promote the photocatalytic decomposition of water. By revealing the basic mechanistic principles behind this process, we hope to derive general guidelines for the design of more efficient photocatalytic systems.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.cam.ac.uk