Solar-driven upgrading of biomass by coupled hydrogenation using in situ (photo)electrochemically generated H.

With the increasing pressure to decarbonize our society, green hydrogen has been identified as a key element in a future fossil fuel-free energy infrastructure. Solar water splitting through photoelectrochemical approaches is an elegant way to produce green hydrogen, but for low-value products like hydrogen, photoelectrochemical production pathways are difficult to be made economically competitive. A possible solution is to co-produce value-added chemicals.

Comparative Spectroscopic Study Revealing Why the CO Electroreduction Selectivity Switches from CO to HCOO at Cu-Sn- and Cu-In-Based Catalysts.

To address the challenge of selectivity toward single products in Cu-catalyzed electrochemical CO reduction, one strategy is to incorporate a second metal with the goal of tuning catalytic activity via synergy effects. In particular, catalysts based on Cu modified with post-transition metals (Sn or In) are known to reduce CO selectively to either CO or HCOO depending on their composition. However, it remains unclear exactly which factors induce this switch in reaction pathways and whether these two related bimetal combinations follow similar general structure-activity trends.

Tin(II) Ureide Complexes: Synthesis, Structural Chemistry, and Evaluation as SnO Precursors.

In an attempt to tailor precursors for application in the deposition of phase pure SnO, we have evaluated a series of tin (-) ureide complexes. The complexes were successfully synthesized by employing ,'-trialkyl-functionalized ureide ligands, in which features such as stability, volatility, and decomposition could be modified with variation of the substituents on the ureide ligand in an attempt to find the complex with the ideal electronic, steric, or coordinative properties, which determine the fate of the final products. The tin(II) ureide complexes - were synthesized by direct reaction [Sn{NMe}] with aryl and alkyl isocyanates in a 1:2 molar ratio.

BaZrS Chalcogenide Perovskite Thin Films by HS Sulfurization of Oxide Precursors.

The earth-abundant ternary compound BaZrS, which crystallizes in the perovskite-type structure, has come into view as a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications. We present the synthesis and characterization of polycrystalline perovskite-type BaZrS thin films. BaZrO precursor layers were deposited by pulsed laser deposition and sulfurized at various temperatures in an argon-diluted HS atmosphere.

Unveiling the Formation of Solid Electrolyte Interphase and its Temperature Dependence in "Water-in-Salt" Supercapacitors.

"Water-in-salt" (WIS) electrolytes have emerged as an excellent superconcentrated ionic medium for high-power energy storage systems such as supercapacitors due to their extended working potential compared to the conventional dilute aqueous electrolyte. In this work, we have investigated the performance of WIS supercapacitors using hollow carbon nanoplates as electrodes and compared it to that based on the conventional "salt-in-water" electrolytes. Moreover, the potentiostatic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been employed to provide an insightful look into the charge transport properties, which also, for the first time, reveals the formation of a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and their temperature-dependent impedance for charge transfer and adsorption.

Different Photostability of BiVO in Near-pH-Neutral Electrolytes.

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a promising route to produce hydrogen from solar energy. However, corrosion of photoelectrodes remains a fundamental challenge for their implementation. Here, we reveal different dissolution behaviors of BiVO photoanode in pH-buffered borate, phosphate, and citrate (hole-scavenger) electrolytes, studied employing an illuminated scanning flow cell.

Assessment of a W:BiVO-CuBiOTandem Photoelectrochemical Cell for Overall Solar Water Splitting.

We assess a tandem photoelectrochemical cell consisting of a W:BiVO photoanode top absorber and a CuBiO photocathode bottom absorber for overall solar water splitting. We show that the W:BiVO photoanode oxidizes water and produces oxygen at potentials ≥0.7 V vs RHE when CoPi is added as a cocatalyst.

Evaluation of AA-CVD deposited phase pure polymorphs of SnS for thin films solar cells.

Six different thin film solar cells consisting of either orthorhombic (α-SnS) or cubic (π-SnS) tin(ii) sulfide absorber layers have been fabricated, characterized and evaluated. Absorber layers of either π-SnS or α-SnS were selectively deposited by temperature controlled Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (AA-CVD) from a single source precursor. α-SnS and π-SnS layers were grown on molybdenum (Mo), Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO), and FTO coated with a thin amorphous-TiO layer (am-TiO -FTO), which were shown to have significant impact on the growth rate and morphology of the as deposited thin films.

Photocurrent Enhancement by Spontaneous Formation of a p-n Junction in Calcium-Doped Bismuth Vanadate Photoelectrodes.

The application of bismuth vanadate (BiVO ) photoelectrodes for solar water splitting is hindered by the poor carrier transport. To overcome this, multiple donor-doping strategies (e.g.

Facile Bulk Synthesis of π-Cubic SnS.

The cubic modification of binary tin sulfide (SnS) has gained significant interest as an earth-abundant, low-toxicity solar absorber material with a band gap close to the optimal value for the conversion of sunlight. We herein report a simple synthesis for the metastable material, which will allow more elaborate characterization methods to be used on this material, and present a full powder refinement of the material along with some preliminary results on the optical and thermal stability properties.