Photoelectrochemistry Energy Applications and Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Low-price, sustainable, clean energy is a growing concern of society as it is at the center of most daily activities, including industry, transportation, communication, and lighting. Energy transportation, storage, and distribution are critical factors of the supply chain, and, so far, chemical fuels have been the mainstream solution for their set of qualities. We are dependent on them for most of our energy portability, but traditional fuels take a heavy toll on pollution levels. Additionally, the increasing living standards and energy transition require the continuous availability of renewable energy sources; thus, the pressure to develop clean fuels is high.

Solar energy is a much needed growing segment as it is the most abundant energy supply on our planet. Sunlight is not evenly distributed across the globe, but it is highly accessible, making its conversion into chemical fuels an ideal low carbon energy solution. Many advances in this field have been made, from solar water splitting for hydrogen production to solar charging of redox flow batteries. However, a cost-efficient solution is still elusive and researchers still struggle to build a device that could penetrate the general market and bring photoelectrochemical energy production into our daily lives. From a fundamental understanding of solar energy conversion at a solid-state level to material development and cell design, many challenges still need unraveling. There is also an unsettled debate about the economic viability of photoelectrochemical devices against alternatives such as solid-state batteries or electrolyzers coupled with photovoltaic panels. The topics of interest for this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:

• Physicochemical solar conversion processes
• Device engineering
• Organic/inorganic semiconductor material development
• Numerical simulation
• Techno-economic analysis
• Photocatalysts
• Surface modification
• Redox couples and electrolytes
• Chemical fuels

Dr. João Azevedo
Guest Editor

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• Photoelectrochemical cells
• Cell design
• Semiconductor
• Solar water splitting
• Solar fuels
• Photocatalysis
• Solar energy conversion
• Hydrogen
• Solar batteries
• Energy storage
• Techno-economic analysis
• Nanostructuring
• Solid-liquid junctions
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
• Biological semiconductors
• Photoelectrodes
• Redox couples
• Electrolytes
• Numerical simulation
• Photoelectrocatalytic modeling
• Membrane
• Physical Chemistry