Stability and degradation in photo-electrochemical fuel generation
Sophia Haussener a
a EPFL Lausanne, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Switzerland
Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2026 Conference (MATSUSFall26)
E1 Solar-driven systems for renewable fuels and chemical generation; Towards viable Solar fuels technology
Palma, Spain, 2026 October 26th - 30th
Organizers: Sudhanshu Shukla and Francesca Toma
Invited Speaker, Sophia Haussener, presentation 390
Publication date: 22nd July 2026

The design and implementation of complete, operational photo-electrochemical devices for solar fuels and materials generation require careful consideration of material requirements and their interplay in an integrated device. While efficiency has become the predominant metric for the assessment of the performance and viability of such devices, degradation has emerged as a limiting factor. Typically, performance-optimized material systems and devices do not necessarily also result in the longevity-optimized version, and vice versa. In this talk, I will discuss how multi-scale and multi-physics degradation modeling can help in guiding in the design, material and operating condition choice for improved longevity while also ensuring high performance. I will discuss lumped parameter models [1], multi-scale models [2], and detailed interface models that are all required for a thorough degradation assessment. I will also discuss how accelerated degradation testing can be developed based on these insights [3]. I will also highlight how degradation plays into techno-economic and life cycle assessments of photo-electrochemical devices [4,5].

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