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SUMMARY:Energy conversion challenges in solar-driven photoelectrochemical 
 water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction
DTSTART:20160907T160000
DTSTAMP:20260408T005729Z
UID:a96a316942b0750dcc5e4c80b2908083e9847e469c01e88fc0cac42c
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Joel W. Ager\, University of California\, Berkeley\nSola
 r to fuel conversion\, if it could be performed in a sustainable manner\, 
 could provide an alternative to mankind’s currently unsustainable use of
  fossil fuels.  Solar fuel generation by photoelectrochemical (PEC) metho
 ds is a potentially promising approach to address this fundamental and imp
 ortant  challenge.\n\nExperimental demonstrations of PEC systems which co
 nvert solar energy to hydrogen via water splitting and to carbon-based fue
 ls via CO2  reduction date back to the 1970s. However\, an approach  whi
 ch could be practical and scalable has not yet been developed.  The key r
 esearch bottlenecks that need to be addressed before practical and scalabl
 e solar fuel devices become a reality will be outlined.  The analysis wil
 l focus on a fundamental requirement of any sustainable solar conversion t
 echnology\, which   is to generate more energy over its useful lifetime 
 than was required to manufacture and maintain it (positive return on energ
 y investment).\n\nReported laboratory solar to hydrogen (STH) conversion e
 fficiencies range from <1% to over 20%\, with a number of approaches that 
 yield efficiencies comparable to solar PV.  However\, there are very few 
 reports of long term operational stability\, which is a clear prerequisite
  for a positive energy  return on investment.  The long term stability o
 f protective coatings for water oxidation photoanodes will be discussed\, 
 with an emphasis on the experimental procedures required to predict the op
 erational lifetime.\n\nElectrochemical CO2  reduction is comparatively le
 ss mature as a technology and hence the challenges are more basic. While t
 here has been considerable recent progress in lowering overpotentials for 
 CO2  reduction via nanostructuring of heterogeneous catalysts\, most of t
 hese systems produce two- electron reduction products (CO or formate)\, bo
 th of which will require further processing to be used as a fuel.  Indeed
 \, there are very few report of systems which produce products other than 
 CO or formate with high selectivity.  Recently\, we have found that the a
 ctivity of Cu nanoparticles for methane production can be greatly enhanced
  when supported on sp2-based carbon materials.  Moreover\, building on wo
 rk performed with Cu nanocubes\, we have designed Cu nanostructures which 
 achieve up to 70% conversion of CO2  to C2+ products.\n\nBio:\n\nJoel W. 
 Ager III is a Staff Scientist in the Materials Sciences Division of Lawren
 ce Berkeley National Laboratory and an Adjunct Professor in the Materials 
 Science and Engineering Department\, UC Berkeley. He is a Principal Invest
 igator in the Electronic Materials Program and in the Joint Center for Art
 ificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) and is Associate Program Leader of the Singa
 pore Berkeley Initiative for Sustainable Energy (SinBeRISE). He graduated 
 from Harvard College in 1982 with an A.B in Chemistry and from the Univers
 ity of Colorado in 1986 with a PhD in Chemical Physics.\n\nAfter a post-do
 ctoral fellowship at the University of Heidelberg\, he joined Lawrence Ber
 keley National Laboratory in 1989. His research interests include the fund
 amental electronic\, optical\, and transport characteristics of photovolta
 ic materials\, development of new photoelectrodes and electrocatalysts for
  solar fuels production\, and the development of new oxide and sulfide bas
 ed transparent conductors. Professor Ager is a frequent invited speaker at
  international conferences and has published over 290 papers in refereed j
 ournals. His work is highly cited\, with over 21\,000 citations and an h-i
 ndex of 70.\n
LOCATION:Zeuzier\, EPFL Valais https://www.google.com/maps/place/EPFL+Vala
 is+Wallis/?ref=zeuzier
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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