Photoelectrochemical solar fuels

The discovery of efficient, stable and inexpensive photoanode materials for use in tandem photoelectrochemical water splitting devices remains a major challenge to the realization of practical solar-driven production of green hydrogen and liquid hydrocarbons. We carry out in-depth investigations of promising photoanode candidates to establish their fundamental properties (light absorption, charge transport, catalytic activity, stability) and understand how their OER performance depends on composition, morphology, phase purity, nanostructuring, surface chemistry, heterostructuring, the use of surface protective and catalytic layers, and other factors. Members of this sub-group develop refined syntheses of target complex oxide semiconductors in bulk and nanostructured thin-film form and use a host of spectroscopy, microscopy, and (photo)electrochemical techniques to evaluate them.

The slide above summarizes some of our ongoing work in this field.