MechE Colloquium: Functional materials for renewable energy storage and conversion – sustainable and scalable materials design for photocatalysts and battery materials
Event details
| Date | 07.04.2026 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Simone Pokrant, Department Chemistry and Physics of Materials, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract: Renewable energy conversion and storage are pressing topics in applied research today, as the use of non-fossil energy sources is essential to reduce CO2 emissions. Solar and wind energy harvesting combined with chemical energy storage in batteries or fuels, such as hydrogen, are essential processes, that need to be improved in terms of efficiency, long-term stability, scalability and sustainability. Although significant progress has been made, many proposed photo- or electrochemical devices show satisfying short-term efficiencies in the laboratory but are too cost-intensive, too unstable and/or not sustainable enough for large-scale applications [1][2]. This is often the case, because they rely on rare materials and/or they are not fabricated using scalable processes. From a material science point of view, key areas to improve dynamic processes include, of course, the bulk properties of the active materials themselves, as well as the interfaces between the active materials and the electrolyte [3].
In this contribution concepts are presented how to improve the function of active materials in photo- or electrochemical energy applications by materials and interface design while respecting sustainability criteria. Our strategies include morphology control by scalable synthesis procedures and chemical modifications using earth-abundant and sustainable additives. These approaches are showcased in two application areas: photocatalysis for solar water-splitting and post-lithium-ion batteries. In both cases vanadium-based chemistries and low energy hydrothermal synthesis processes are used to produce devices with improved function [4,5].
[1] A. Vilanova, P. Dias, T. Lopes and A. Mendes, Chemical Society Reviews 53 (2024) 2388
[2] S. Maddukuri, D. Malka, M.S. Chae, Y. Elias, S. Luski, D. Aurbach, Electrochimica Acta 354 (2020) 136771
[3] Z. Xi and M. Liu, npj Materials Sustainability 3 (2025) 18
[4] J. Praxmair, F. Creazzo, D. Tang, J. Zalesak, J. Hörndl, S. Luber and S. Pokrant, ChemElectroChem 12 (2025) e202500280
[5] J. LamChen, J. Zalesak and S. Pokrant, (2026) submitted to Journal of Power Sources
Biography: Simone Pokrant is Professor of Functional Materials at the department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University of Salzburg (Austria) since 2018 and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences since 2024. She previously served, among others, as research group leader at Empa (Switzerland) and spent ten years in industry as a technical leader and product manager, specializing in physical characterization and electron microscopy at Philips (France) and Zeiss (Germany). She holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Marburg (Germany). Her research interests focus on the development of materials for renewable energy storage and conversion, particularly for batteries and photocatalysis. So far, she has contributed to more than 70 peer-reviewed articles.
In this contribution concepts are presented how to improve the function of active materials in photo- or electrochemical energy applications by materials and interface design while respecting sustainability criteria. Our strategies include morphology control by scalable synthesis procedures and chemical modifications using earth-abundant and sustainable additives. These approaches are showcased in two application areas: photocatalysis for solar water-splitting and post-lithium-ion batteries. In both cases vanadium-based chemistries and low energy hydrothermal synthesis processes are used to produce devices with improved function [4,5].
[1] A. Vilanova, P. Dias, T. Lopes and A. Mendes, Chemical Society Reviews 53 (2024) 2388
[2] S. Maddukuri, D. Malka, M.S. Chae, Y. Elias, S. Luski, D. Aurbach, Electrochimica Acta 354 (2020) 136771
[3] Z. Xi and M. Liu, npj Materials Sustainability 3 (2025) 18
[4] J. Praxmair, F. Creazzo, D. Tang, J. Zalesak, J. Hörndl, S. Luber and S. Pokrant, ChemElectroChem 12 (2025) e202500280
[5] J. LamChen, J. Zalesak and S. Pokrant, (2026) submitted to Journal of Power Sources
Biography: Simone Pokrant is Professor of Functional Materials at the department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University of Salzburg (Austria) since 2018 and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences since 2024. She previously served, among others, as research group leader at Empa (Switzerland) and spent ten years in industry as a technical leader and product manager, specializing in physical characterization and electron microscopy at Philips (France) and Zeiss (Germany). She holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Marburg (Germany). Her research interests focus on the development of materials for renewable energy storage and conversion, particularly for batteries and photocatalysis. So far, she has contributed to more than 70 peer-reviewed articles.
Practical information
- General public
- Free