Publication date: 22nd July 2026
The practical deployment of photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems for solar fuel and chemical production requires moving beyond conventional laboratory conditions toward device operation under realistic and application-relevant environments. While most PEC studies are performed at atmospheric pressure, many target applications involve gas handling, pressurization, and integrated downstream processes that fundamentally alter device behavior. In this context, elevated-pressure operation emerges as an interesting yet underexplored parameter in PEC system design. In this talk, I will first briefly motivate the importance of coupling PEC hydrogen production with value-added chemical synthesis, illustrated through a solar-driven system where in situ generated hydrogen is directly utilized for homogeneous hydrogenation of biomass-derived feedstocks.[1] This approach highlights how system-level integration can enhance the overall utility of solar-driven devices beyond hydrogen generation alone. Building on this motivation, the main focus of the talk is on engineering PEC systems under elevated-pressure conditions. Through combined multiphysics modelling, operando diagnostics, and high-pressure device development, we show how pressure modifies key processes governing PEC performance, including gas bubble evolution, optical transmission, interfacial mass transport, and product gas crossover.[2-4] Our results reveal that moderate pressurization can significantly suppress bubble-induced optical losses and mitigate photocurrent saturation under operating conditions, while introducing only minor thermodynamic penalties. Finally, we also examine coupled transport phenomena such as electrolyte convection and pH gradients, which become increasingly important for scalable device operation.
References
- K. Obata; M. Schwarze; T. A. Thiel; X. Zhang; B. Radhakrishnan; I. Y. Ahmet; R. van de Krol; R. Schomäcker; F. F. Abdi, Nat. Commun., 2023, 14, 6017.
- F. Liang; R. van de Krol; F. F. Abdi, Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 4944.
- F. Liang; R. van de Krol; F. F. Abdi, Chem. Eng. J., 2025, 512, 162513.
- F. Liang; H. Kong; D. S. Babu; R. van de Krol; F. F. Abdi, Nat. Commun., 2025, 16, 11139.
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