FreeHydroCells

About: The FreeHydroCells project aims to create a new photoelectrochemical system capable of clean, efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion, with hydrogen gas storing the chemical energy. The system would mimic the solar-energy absorption potential of a leaf by arraying cascades of nanometre thick semiconducting materials as buried pn-junctions that, when submerged in water and exposed to sunlight, are capable of freestanding photoelectrochemical water splitting. The FreeHydroCells project proposes to leverage a number of advancements in thin film materials, devices, and processes to make similar breakthroughs in photoelectrochemical band-engineering for interconnected bands, defect minimisation, thin film thickness uniformity continuity to minimise drift-dominated transit times, carrier doping for high conductivity, carrier type selectivity and, importantly, preventing significant recombination of light-generated carriers by ensuring drift transport under multiple in-built electric fields.

Duration: 1 November 2022 - 28 February 2026

Partners: Commissariat A L Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives; Ucc Academy Designated Activity Company; Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen; Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche; Gesellschaft Fur Angewandte Mikro Und Optoelektronik Mit Beschrankterhaftung Amo Gmbh; Bards Acoustic Science Labs