SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 3
Special Lecture by Professor FUJISHIMA Akira
Learning About Photocatalyst Technology and Its Applications
On Monday, August 18th, a group of 71 participants—56 high school students and 15 accompanying teachers from Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and India—attended a special lecture entitled "How to Get Clean World: Photocatalysis and Carbon Recycling" by Professor FUJISHIMA Akira, Professor Emeritus, at Tokyo University of Science, at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Tokyo Headquarters.
Professor FUJISHIMA explained the mechanism of photocatalysis in a way that was easy for the high school students in attendance to understand. He described how sunlight combined with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) oxidizes water, splitting it into oxygen and hydrogen. He also shared his feelings of surprise and excitement from when he discovered that oxygen can be generated from titanium dioxide. He also shared photos from that time.
In addition, he introduced various applications of photocatalyst technology—such as the decomposition of organic stains and the inactivation of bacteria—which are now implemented in society in forms like anti-fog mirrors, self-cleaning building exteriors, and antibacterial surfaces in operating rooms, using experiments to demonstrate these effects.
In an experiment, steam was applied to a mirror coated with titanium dioxide on only half of its surface.
The high school students listened intently to Professor FUJISHIMA, and after the lecture, they eagerly asked one question after another until the very end of the allotted time. Their questions included such things as, "Can photocatalysts purify air pollution in large cities?", "Is it feasible to use photocatalysts in developing countries, including from a cost perspective?", "What uses are there for the hydrogen generated as a by-product?", and "What possibilities are there for us, the next generation, to further develop photocatalyst technology?"
