Nanostructured Materials for Solar-Driven Fuel Synthesis: Harnessing Sunlight for Green Energy and Energy-Dense Chemicals

Dear Colleagues,

Solar energy offers a sustainable pathway to produce carbon-neutral fuels, but its intermittent nature demands innovations in nanoscale light-harvesting, photocatalysts, nanodevices, and nature-inspired nanosystems. This issue focuses on nanomaterial-enabled solutions for solar-driven fuel production, bridging fundamental research and scalable applications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Solar as the Primary Energy Source
   • Nanomaterials for direct solar-to-fuel conversion.
   • Design of broadband light-absorbing nanostructures (e.g., plasmonic, perovskite, or quantum-confined materials).
2. Nanostructured Photocatalysts
   • Atomic-level engineering of photocatalysts and design of plasmonic, quantum dot, or MOF-based photocatalysts for CO₂ reduction or H₂ generation.
   • Solar-driven plastic waste reforming into H₂/hydrocarbons via nanoscale catalysts.
   • Mechanistic studies of charge transfer at nanoscale interfaces.
   • Stability and scalability of photocatalytic nanomaterials.
3. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) Nanodevices
   • Nano-engineered photoelectrodes for water splitting.
   • Integrated nanosystems for CO₂-to-fuel conversion (e.g., gas-diffusion electrodes with plasmonic enhancers).
   • Tandem PEC systems integrating light absorbers and catalytic nanostructures.
4. Solar Thermochemical Nanomaterials
   • High-entropy nanostructured materials for sunlight-driven syngas production.
   • Nanoscale redox materials for two-step CO₂/H₂O splitting cycles.
5. Hybrid and Bio-Inspired Nanosystems
   • Artificial leaf architectures combining light absorbers and molecular catalysts for solar fuel synthesis.
   • Plasmonic nanoparticles for localized heat/photocatalysis synergy.
6. Characterization and Modeling
   • Operando studies of nanomaterial behavior under solar irradiation.
   • DFT/machine-learning-guided design of photocatalytic nanomaterials.
   • Techno-economic analysis of nanomaterial-based solar fuel plants.
7. Applications and Scalability
   • Prototype and pilot-scale demonstrations of solar fuel nanosystems.
   • Scientific and technological evaluation, including life-cycle and techno-economic analysis of nanomaterial-based fuel production.

Prof. Dr. Kwang Leong Choy
Guest Editor

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