Photoelectrochemical properties of ternary ferrites

Iron based oxides involve a vast family of compounds with a huge range optical, magnetic and electronic properties. In the solar fuels context, Fe₂O₃ is the most studied material of this family, which is characterised by high chemical stability. A variety of strategies have been implemented to enhance the properties of these photoanodes, which are limitted by short carrier lifetimes and fast surface recombination kinetics. Beyond Fe₂O₃, there are numerous reports on ternary ferrite including LaFeO₃, YFeO₃, PrFeO_3, GaFeO₃ and BiFeO₃, exhibiting n and p-type conductivity. In this talk, I will present our recent findings on the structure-activity relationships of these compounds and their potential as dimensionally stable photoelectrodes.

Biography:
After completing his undergraduate degree at Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela, with a final year project "Electrochemical Generation and Growth of Pyrrole" and spending a year as a research assistant, David joined Professor Laurence Peter's group at the University of Bath where he gained his PhD with a thesis entitled "Semiconductor Photoelectrochemistry: Multi-electron Transfer Processes at Illuminated Semiconductor | Electrolyte Interfaces" . David moved to Switzerland to become a postdoctoctoral fellow at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). David spent six years at EPFL before moving to Universität Bern in 2003. After 4 years in Bern, David and his group relocated to the University of Bristol, England, and the Bristol Electrochemistry group was created. With the award of a professorship in 2013, David has continued to develop the group and establish firm links with electrochemistry groups around the world.