主题: How do we make fuels using water and sunlight?主讲人: 王敦伟地点: 松江校区材料楼A405时间: 2016-06-13 15:30:00组织单位: 材料学院
A brief biography of Dunwei Wang：
Dunwei Wang graduated fromthe University of Science and Technology of China in 2000 with a B.S. degree inchemistry. He was then trained atStanford University (with Hongjie Dai) between 2000 and 2005, where his Ph.D.thesis was awarded the Prize for Young Chemists by the International Union of Pure and AppliedChemistry (2006). Aftertwo years of postdoctoral study with James R. Heath at Caltech, he joined thefaculty of Boston College where he is currently an Associate Professor ofChemistry. His research concerns thedevelopment of new materials that can be used for efficient solar energyconversion and storage. He has published 89 papers in Nat. Commun., J．Am. Chem. Soc., Angedw. Chem. Int. Ed.,Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, ACS Nano, etc. He is a recipient of an NSF CAREER award(2011), a Sloan Research Fellowship (2012), a Massachusetts CleanEnergy Center (MassCEC) Catalyst award (2011) and a Japan Society for Promotionof Science Fellowship (2016).
Abstract：Solar energy can be directly harvested topower thermodynamically uphill reactions that produce energetic chemicals,promising a large-scale energy storage and redistribution solution. To enable these reactions, we need materialsthat can absorb light, separate charges, and catalyze specific chemistries. The materials should be made of earth-abundantelements to allow for large-scale implementations. They also need to be resistant against photocorrosion. To date, a low-cost,long-lasting material that can produce solar fuels with an economicallymeaningful efficiency remains elusive. Inthis talk, we present our efforts aimed at understanding what limits thedevelopment of this important field. Within the context of photoanode and photocathode, we show how thephotoelectrode properties are changed by introducing material componentsdesigned for improving charge transport, surface potential accumulation, andinterface kinetics, respectively. Ourresults highlight the importance of separately understanding thermodynamic andkinetic factors in complex systems such as that for solar fuel production. Detailed knowledge generated by our researchcontributes to the goal of realizing low-cost, high-efficiency artificialphotosynthesis.