Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2024 Conference (MATSUSFall24)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.matsusfall.2024.091
Publication date: 28th August 2024
Despite the enormous advances in producing green electrons from solar cells to address our current energy crises, the future society will also require sustainable fuels to move forward. Producing these sustainable fuels necessitates not only the use of renewable energy sources to power the processes but also the design of synthesis routes that can reduce carbon emissions [1]. In this context, the sun stands out as one of the most potent and explored sources for generating green fuels, specifically solar fuels. Harnessing the incoming photons from the sun to power electro- or photo-catalysts involves engineering surfaces or nanomaterials capable of effectively utilizing these photons to activate chemical bonds [2, 3].
This talk will provide an overview of our current efforts to enhance the production of solar fuels using plasmonic and photonic structures. Plasmonic structures exploit the oscillations of free electrons in metallic nanostructures when exposed to light, thereby enhancing light absorption and scattering [4]. This leads to increased efficiency in capturing solar energy and focusing it at the nanoscale, which enhances the electromagnetic field and facilitates chemical reactions [5]. Photonic structures, on the other hand, manipulate the flow of light at the nanoscale, improving light-matter interactions. They enhance the absorption and utilization of solar photons through improved light management, such as in photonic crystals and metamaterials, which can control light propagation to maximize interaction with catalytic surfaces [6].
Key principles for designing the next generation of sunlight-activated catalysts will be discussed, including material selection, nanostructure engineering, and the integration of renewable energy sources. By addressing these challenges, we can develop more efficient systems for converting solar energy into chemical fuels. This talk aims to highlight the significant advancements and future potential of plasmonic and photonic structures in the realm of solar fuel production, drawing insights from current research and existing literature to outline the path forward in this critical area of sustainable energy development.
Funding and support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy— EXC 2089/1—390776260, the Bavarian program Solar Technologies Go Hybrid (SolTech), the Center for NanoScience (CeNS) and the European Commission through the ERC Starting and Proof of Concept Grants CATALIGHT and SURFLIGHT.
nanoGe is a prestigious brand of successful science conferences that are developed along the year in different areas of the world since 2009. Our worldwide conferences cover cutting-edge materials topics like perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, solar fuel conversion, surface science, catalysis and two-dimensional materials, among many others.
Previously nanoGe Spring Meeting (NSM) and nanoGe Fall Meeting (NFM), MATSUS is a multiple symposia conference focused on a broad set of topics of advanced materials preparation, their fundamental properties, and their applications, in fields such as renewable energy, photovoltaics, lighting, semiconductor quantum dots, 2-D materials synthesis, charge carriers dynamics, microscopy and spectroscopy semiconductors fundamentals, etc.
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV) is celebrated yearly in May. The main topics are the development, function and modeling of materials and devices for hybrid and organic solar cells. The field is now dominated by perovskite solar cells but also other hybrid technologies, as organic solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells and their integration into devices for photoelectrochemical solar fuel production.
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