Date Thesis Awarded

4-2015

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Chemistry

Advisor

William R. McNamara

Committee Members

Robert D. Pike

Kristin Wustholz

William R. McNamara

Abstract

Developing an efficient and cost-effective method of harvesting solar energy will greatly help to solve the global energy crisis, as the sun provides more energy in an hour than the world uses in an entire year. One of the most promising solutions to this problem is artificial photosynthesis, a process that mimics photosynthesis in plants to store energy in the chemical bonds of hydrogen gas. In order to develop systems for artificial photosynthesis, stable and active catalysts that can reduce protons must be identified. The new complexes, [Ni^II(Httfasbz)] and [Ni^II(L2)] (where L2 = (2E, 2'E)-dibenzyl 2,2'-(1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diylidene)bis(hydrazinecarbodithioate)), were characterized and then analyzed as electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation. Both were found to be active catalysts for electrochemical proton reduction, with [Ni^II(Httfasbz)] giving an i_c/i_p of 6.4 and [Ni^II(L2)] giving an i_c/i_p of 42.9 in solutions of CH₃CN. [Ni^II(Httfasbz)] was further studied in a system for photochemical hydrogen generation. As a photocatalyst, [Ni^II(Httfasbz)] is both active and stable, producing TONs over 1100 after 18 hours and continuing to generate hydrogen for over 70 hours.

Recommended Citation

Wise, Catherine F., "The Electro- and Photocatalytic Activity of a Ni-NNSS Schiff-Base Complex for Hydrogen Generation" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 168.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/168