Materials Chemistry via Electrochemistry: Electrochemical Synthesis of Electrode Materials with Controlled Architectures for Use in Solar Fuel Production

Most modern energy conversion and storage devices (e.g. photovoltaics, photoelectrochemical cells, fuel cells, and batteries) are composed of semiconducting and metallic thin film-type electrodes and catalysts. When the electrodes are processed as polycrystalline films to meet the cost constraint for commercial viability, particle shapes, sizes, orientations, and interconnections significantly affect the chemical and physical factors that define the energetics and kinetics of these electrode materials. Therefore, rationally controlling micro- and nano-scale structures of electrode materials that compose polycrystalline films, and understanding the effects that micro- and nano-structures have on functional properties are the keys to producing highly efficient and cost effective electrode materials. To address these issues, we have been developing various new electrochemical synthetic strategies to produce electrode and catalyst materials of various compositions with controlled morphologies and architectures. In this presentation, we will discuss in detail the design, control, and optimization of various inorganic electrodes and their applications for solar fuel production.