MechE Colloquium: Solar-Driven Chemical Synthesis with Earth-Abundant Semiconductors
Event details
| Date | 29.09.2026 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. David Tilley, Department of Chemistry, Universität Zürich |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract: The facile synthesis of stable, efficient, and low-cost semiconductors is critical for large scale photoelectrochemical energy conversion and photocatalysis. In this talk, I will describe recent work in advancing the efficiency and stability of promising Earth-abundant semiconductors such as cuprous oxide (Cu₂O). I will describe how appropriate interface contact engineering enables Cu₂O to be used as both a photocathode for hydrogen evolution as well as a photoanode for oxygen evolution. I will show how the hydrothermal synthesis technique of semiconductors such as antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) enables the use of solution phase chemical modifiers to improve the performance and stability of these materials through doping and crystal orientation control. I will discuss the use of a hybrid organic/inorganic charge-selective protective layer for photoanodes to improve the stability. Finally, I will close with a brief outlook on our ongoing work for translation of thin film architectures to powders for photocatalytic energy conversion and synthesis of valuable chemicals.
Biography: David Tilley received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Georgia, USA and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, working with Prof. Matthew Francis. Following a first postdoctoral stay at Princeton University with Prof. Erik Sorensen, David Tilley moved to Switzerland to learn about water splitting with Prof. Michael Grätzel at EPFL. Following this postdoctoral fellowship, he served as Group Leader for the water splitting subgroup in the Grätzel laboratory from 2011-2014. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Zurich (UZH) in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. In August 2024, he became director of the Department of Chemistry at UZH.
Biography: David Tilley received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Georgia, USA and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, working with Prof. Matthew Francis. Following a first postdoctoral stay at Princeton University with Prof. Erik Sorensen, David Tilley moved to Switzerland to learn about water splitting with Prof. Michael Grätzel at EPFL. Following this postdoctoral fellowship, he served as Group Leader for the water splitting subgroup in the Grätzel laboratory from 2011-2014. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Zurich (UZH) in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. In August 2024, he became director of the Department of Chemistry at UZH.
Practical information
- General public
- Free