IEEE Photonics Houston welcomes Dr. Ke Sun

Date: May 26th

Time: 4 PM

Location: Dell Butcher 1064, Rice University

Photon, Electron, and Ion Management in Artificial Photosynthesis: Realizing Efficient Renewable Energy to Fuel Conversion

Postdoc fellow in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
California Institute of Technology

Abstract: Direct production of fuels from sunlight, air (N2 or CO2), and water that can be stored, transported, and later converted into hydrogen or electricity to provide power for transportation and distributed energy generation, have received recent attentions worldwide. This technology could also provide chemicals as synthetic precursors or realize grid-level storage of intermittent solar energy. In artificial photosynthesis based on semiconductor photoelectrochemistry, production of chemical fuels generally requires coupling of the separated electrical charges with catalysts for multi-electron chemical reactions. Meanwhile, the development of integrated, efficient and stable photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems requires the pairing of efficient and stable light-absorbing materials with an optimum band-gap combinations. The development of such systems, using water-splitting as an example, has been hindered in part by the lack of semiconducting materials that can simultaneously provide efficiency and stability in corrosive environment, typically as strong acid or base. In this talk, I will present our recent progress in the development of efficient and stable PEC devices for H2 production from solar-driven water splitting. First, I will summarize some recent development of photon management in PEC devices and future module designs from modeling to experiment. Then, I will discuss methods for heterogeneous interfacial energetic modification on covalence-bond semiconductors for efficient free carriers (electrons/holes) separation. Finally, I will present a novel approach in managing ionic environment to create a defect-tolerant condition, which leads to a demonstration of a record-setting solar water-splitting prototype.
Bio: Dr. Ke Sun is currently a senior postdoctoral fellow advised by Professor Nathan S. Lewis in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and in the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) at Caltech. He holds his B.Sc, M.Sc and Ph.D degrees from the Beijing Institute of Technology, University of South Florida, and University of California, San Diego in 2003, 2009 and 2013, respectively. As a graduate student, his research was focused on hierarchically-structured nanomaterials from synthesis, characterization to applications in biosensors, optoelectronics, and photoelectrochemical devices. His current research effort is centered on the understanding of the corrosion mechanisms and developing defect-tolerant materials, structures and environment for integrated solar-fuel conversion devices. Dr. Sun has established an outstanding publication record having published in top-ranked journals and having been widely cited for his contribution to the protection of photoelectrodes and general semiconductor photoelectrochemistry. His future research interests are materials innovation and electrochemistry for water, energy and electronics, specifically 1) synthesis, integration and assembly of 2D materials for electrochemical energy conversion, storage and usage; 2) materials synthesis and characterization for electrochemical water treatment, chemical detection and seawater desalination driven by renewable energy; 3) electronic devices, photonics, electrochromic display, and photoelectrochemical biosensors.

Location:
Room: 1064
Bldg: Dell Butcher
Houston, Texas