Solar fuels

A key storage solution for renewable energy sources is the conversion of solar energy into fuels. Solar fuels have comparable energy density to fossil fuels and could be consumed in a similar way based on existing infrastructure.

The solar fuels research in LSPM features photoelectrochemical (PEC) fuel production and PV-driven electrocatalysis with an emphasis on oxide photoabsorbers. With thin film technologies such as magnetron sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD), photoelectrochemical and electrochemical deposition, and chemical bath deposition (CBD), junction formation and modification could be carried out with extraordinary precision. Synergy between detailed material characterization and specialized knowledge on semiconductors and electrochemistry boosts continuous advance in understanding and improvement of solar fuel generation processes. Practical devices are demonstrated by careful engineering of light absorption, scattering as well as mass transport in PEC cells. With the advance of our photoelectrodes and effective collaborations, several record solar-to-fuel efficiencies were collected.