CAREER: Photoelectrochemical Investigation of Thin Film Hematite Solar Cells

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In this project funded by the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Hamann of the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University will investigate the photo-catalytic oxidation of water using hematite electrodes. A series of highly-controlled and systematic investigations on thin film hematite electrodes, including studying contacting electrolytes, the electrode interface and bulk material modifications, will be carried out. A combination of electrochemical, photoelectrochemical, spectroscopic and microscopic measurements will be employed to characterize the new configurations of hematite photo-catalysts. Also to be explored are strategies of increasing the light absorption of the optimized thin films including creating highly ordered nanostructures via atomic layer deposition and incorporating plasmonic nanoparticles. The broader impacts involve training undergraduate students and graduate student researchers and developing an experimental module on solar energy conversion using hematite electrodes for area high schools. The proposed research outlines several approaches to substantially improve the energy conversion efficiency of hematite solar cells. A breakthrough resulted from this research will have significant impact on the realization of truly cost-effective solar energy conversion and storage; this would benefit society tremendously by contributing to our energy independence and the mitigation of carbon emissions. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work is expected to impact diverse fields, including materials chemistry, electrochemistry, and catalysis. The research further involves several teaching points which will be integrated into educational activities at all levels, including the efforts to involve groups generally underrepresented in science and technology.