Solar fuels generations from water: Utilizing novel semiconductor oxide materials or modified III-V semiconductor interface

The future of clean energy depends heavily on innovative breakthroughs concerning the design of efficient systems for the conversion and storage of solar energy. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising solution in which energy collection and water electrolysis are combined into a single system. The first part of the talk will focus on the rational design and systematic synthesis of novel semiconductor oxide materials towards solar energy induced proton reduction through traditional and simple solid state methods. In addition, earth-abundant molecular catalysts (i.e. Cobaloxime complexes) coupled with atomic layer deposition (ALD) modification of III-V semiconductor interfaces were also investigated. The modified semiconductor-catalyst interface is a stable, highly efficient, and economical system for solar production of H2 from water. The second part of the talk will focus on understanding the carrier dynamics, which involve charge separation and recombination, across the semiconductor-catalyst junctions. Probing such carrier dynamics has previously proved to be experimentally challenging. Herein we’ll introduce a novel spectroscopic method, transient photoreflectance, to monitor the change in carrier dynamics at different III-V semiconductor interfaces.