Success rate 100 percent: HZB teams get third party funding for Solar Fuel projects
At the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels, also nanostructures in metal oxides are explored as efficient catalyst materials for artificial photosynthesis. © HZB
Converting solar energy and storing it in form of solar fuels, is one of the great scientific and technological challenges today to enable the transition into a more sustainable future powered by renewable energies. Scientists at the HZB institute for Solar Fuels are exploring new semiconductor materials in order to develop compact, robust and economic solutions for “artificial photosynthesis”. They have submitted four research projects in collaboration with partners from universities for funding by the German Research Association (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG) in the Priority Programme „Fuels Produced Regeneratively Through Light-Driven Water Splitting” (SPP 1613). All four projects have now been approved for funding.
“A success rate of 100 percent in this highly competitive call is truly remarkable, since only half of the submitted proposals could be funded”, Professor Roel van de Krol, head of the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels states. “This means we can further strengthen and expand our institute’s activities”. The first three projects are extensions of already running projects, while the 4th one is a new activity.
The objective is to investigate artificial photosynthesis based on solid-state inorganic materials from a fundamental scientific perspective as well as the aspects of material science required for its technological implementation. The goal is to convert solar energy into storable fuels, in this case hydrogen, which has a high gravimetric energy density and can be safely stored and used whenever needed, either in a fuel cell to generate electricity or as a base component for the production of synthetic hydrocarbon fuels.
The approved projects are:
- Development of catalysts, namely manganese oxides and molybdenum sulphides, for an implementation in a light-driven water-splitting device using a multi-junction solar cell. Partner: Prof. H. Dau (PI, FU-Berlin), Prof. P. Kurz (University Freiburg i. Br.), Prof. S. Fiechter (HZB).
- High-throughput characterization of multinary transition metal oxide and oxynitride libraries. New materials for solar water splitting with improved properties. Partner: Prof. Wolfgang Schuhmann (PI, Ruhr University Bochum), Prof. Alfred Ludwig (Ruhr University Bochum), Prof. S. Fiechter (HZB).
- Novel thin film composites and co-catalysts for visible light-induced water splitting. Partner: M. Behrens (Uni Duisburg), A. Fischer (Uni Freiburg), M. Lerch (TU Berlin), T. Schedel-Niedrig (HZB).
- Development of optimum bandgap photoanodes for tandem water-splitting cells based on doped complex metal oxides and III-V semiconductors coupled to water oxidation electrocatalysts. Partner: R. Beranek (PI, Ruhr University Bochum), A. Devi (Ruhr University Bochum), R. Eichberger (HZB).
- Photovoltaic living lab reaches the 100 Megawatt-hour markAbout three years ago, the living laboratory at HZB went into operation. Since then, the photovoltaic facade has been generating electricity from sunlight. On September 27, 2024, it reached the milestone of 100 megawatt-hours.
- Green hydrogen: MXenes shows talent as catalyst for oxygen evolutionThe MXene class of materials has many talents. An international team led by HZB chemist Michelle Browne has now demonstrated that MXenes, properly functionalised, are excellent catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in electrolytic water splitting. They are more stable and efficient than the best metal oxide catalysts currently available. The team is now extensively characterising these MXene catalysts for water splitting at the Berlin X-ray source BESSY II and Soleil Synchrotron in France.
- Green hydrogen: ‘Artificial leaf’ becomes better under pressureHydrogen can be produced via the electrolytic splitting of water. One option here is the use of photoelectrodes that convert sunlight into voltage for electrolysis in so called photoelectrochemical cells (PEC cells). A research team at HZB has now shown that the efficiency of PEC cells can be significantly increased under pressure.