MechE Colloquium: Solar-Driven Chemical Synthesis with Earth-Abundant Semiconductors

Speaker: <a href="https://www.chem.uzh.ch/en/research/groups/tilley/curriculumVitae.html">Prof. David Tilley</a>, <a href="https://www.chem.uzh.ch/en.html">Department of Chemistry</a>, <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html">Universität Zürich</a> Organiser: <a href="https://people.epfl.ch/sophia.haussener">Prof. Sophia Haussener</a> <strong>Abstract: </strong>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 a