Editorial pubs.acs.org/cm
Photochemical Water Splitting Pioneer: Frank Osterloh and Chemistry of Materials’ 1k Club Chemistry of Materials runs a series of interviews with the authors of papers that have been cited more than 1000 times, called our “1k Club”, to try to find out what makes these papers special, and to understand the authors’ perspective of the field at the time of writing.1 The latest paper to cross the 1000 citation threshold is this review by Frank Osterloh, entitled “Inorganic Materials as Catalysts for Photochemical Splitting of Water”,2 Figures 1 and 2. As of December 6, 2015, this paper has been cited 1050 times in Web of Science, and 1255 times in Google Scholar. The review was a landmark because it summarized, and enabled readers perceive and understand,
the structure−activity relationships between inorganic materials and their activity for light-driven water splitting reactions. We (CM) caught up with Frank Osterloh (FO) and asked him a few questions about his review. CM: At what stage of your academic career were you when you submitted this Review to Chemistry of Materials? FO: I had just received tenure at UC Davis and was looking for a new research direction. Sustainable chemistry had been a topic of great interest to me for many years, and I realized then that I wanted to make a contribution to artificial photosynthesis. At the time we were working with niobate nanosheets as structure templates. We quickly confirmed that these nanosheets could also support photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. When preparing a manuscript for publication, I realized that the previous literature on this topic was very extensive. So the idea was borne to write a comprehensive review that would to get myself up to speed and help newcomers to enter this field. My colleague Susan Kauzlarich suggested I submit it to Chemistry of Materials. CM: Given the high citation record of this article, a significant amount of research has been impacted by your findings over the years. Where did you think the field was headed when you wrote this review? FO: When I wrote the review, photoelectrochemical energy conversion was becoming more popular again as a potential solution to climate change. I believed that my review article would promote particle suspension reactors as an inexpensive way for artificial photosynthesis in the United States, but did not happen despite several funding initiatives in solar energy to fuel conversion. However, a lot more people have become interested in photocatalysis and related materials aspects. CM: In your opinion, how has this particular research field evolved ever since? FO: Since the publication of the article, the global interest in photon-driven chemistry has continued to expand very rapidly. Many photoactive materials, including BiVO4, Fe2O3, and Cu2O, and silicon have been rediscovered. There now is a better understanding of the effect of particle size on energetics and catalysis. Progress has been made with developing TiO2 and NiO coatings to protect sensitive small gap semiconductors against photocorrosion. New electrocatalysts, including Ni2P and Co2P have been discovered, and old ones have been characterized in greater depth. Particle suspension reactors are now beginning to receive increasing attention even though their performance is still greatly behind that of photovoltaic/ electrolyzer systems and photoelectrochemical cells. However, in my opinion, too much effort is spent on photocatalytic dyedegradation reactions. It is known that the diagnostic value of these reactions for photocatalysis is very limited. Also, graphitic carbon nitride is still very popular even though nobody has looked at the intrinsic limitations of this material.
Figure 1. Frank Osterloh, author of “Inorganic Materials as Catalysts for Photochemical Splitting of Water”.2
Figure 2. Table of contents image from Osterloh’s review on photochemical splitting of water. Reproduced with permission from ref 2. Copyright 2007 American Chemical Society. © 2016 American Chemical Society
Published: January 12, 2016 1
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b04727 Chem. Mater. 2016, 28, 1−2
Chemistry of Materials
Editorial
CM: If you had to put your finger on it, what made your paper special? What are you most happy about when you reread this review? FO: This review was an early attempt of a comprehensive classification and understanding of water splitting photocatalysts. What made it special was the correlation of structural features with functional performance. Another reason for its popularity was perhaps that it was written by a newcomer with a fresh perspective and in a language that was easy to understand. CM: What’s your advice to young scientists trying to discover the next breakthrough in material science? FO: I would like young investigators to put greater trust in their own creativity and independence. The increased communication of our information society reinforces group behavior and suppresses individual thought. So my advice to new scientists is know what others have done before you, imagine what might lie in front of you, and pay somewhat less attention to what is going on right next to you.
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Carlos Toro, Managing Editor Jillian M. Buriak, Editor-in-Chief
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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REFERENCES
(1) Full list of the 1k Club: http://pubs.acs.org/action/ doSearch?text1=1k+club&field1=AllField&type=within&publication= 40025986. (2) Osterloh, F. E. Chem. Mater. 2007, 20 (1), 35−54.
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b04727 Chem. Mater. 2016, 28, 1−2
