Electrode/electrolyte interfaces in (photo-)electrochemical devices

Climate change, due to the continued emissions of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere and subsequent warming of the planet, is an existential crisis facing humanity. The rising temperature is are resulting in the melting of our ice caps and glaciers, influencing the weather patterns, are making many parts of the world unliveable and are driving...

Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis: Hydrogen Permeable Electrodes as Alternative Pathway for Nitrogen Reduction

In the last century, the indiscriminate use of fossil energy to power the industrial revolution and technological progress of humankind, has led to the depletion of limited natural resources and, most importantly, the emission and accumulation of alarming levels of pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. One of the major...

Catalysts and Operating Conditions for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

The urgent threat of global warming and the demand for sustainable fuels have made the electroreduction of CO2 a priority, due to its possibility in closed-loop cycle of carbon. The energy conversion and strategy can diminish the content of CO2 in the atmosphere, convert renewable electricity into chemical energy and store it in chemical bonds,...

From Small Scale to Large Scale: in the World of CO2 Reduction

The development of carbon dioxide sequestration and conversion technologies can help set up additional loops in the naturally occurring carbon cycle. It presents the unique opportunity to transition from a fossil fuel based industry to a CO2 based industry. Life cycle analysis of CO2 conversion processes which take into account the entire...

Understanding the Influence of Side Reactions during Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

The concept and necessity of an "energy transition" has become well-known as the general public acknowledges the severe consequences of climate change. As a side effect of industrial revolution, which has brought advances to modern society by burning fossil fuels, pollutants and greenhouse gases are also released to the atmosphere. As a result,...

Ion Transport Mechanisms in Bipolar Membranes for Electrochemical Applications

Electrochemistry can be a useful technology to enable the transition toward renewable energy sources and to prevent further climate change. Some electrochemical applications are already industrially implemented, like water electrolysers, while others, like CO2 reduction, need further development to be industrially competitive. Here, a bipolar...

Modeling the carbon dioxide electrocatalysis system

Increasing level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) because of human activities is a serious threat to ecosystems on Earth due to global warming. A transition to net-zero CO2 emissions before 2050 is necessary to limit the global mean surface temperature rise to 1.5ºC-2ºC above preindustrial levels. Carbon capture and utilization technologies...

Operando spectroscopic methods to study electrochemical processes

Fossil resources are being depleted, while the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere rises. There clearly is a strong and immediate need for a radical energy transition. Renewable energy is growing strongly as supplier of fossil-free electricity, but it needs large-scale and long-term storage options in order to be able to make a real impact on...

Band-Edge Energetics Control for Solar Hydrogen Production

The global transition from fossil-based resources to renewable energy is critically important to address the sharply increasing threat of global climate change and to ensure long-term energy security. One attractive candidate to substitute for conventional fossil fuels is hydrogen. Hydrogen is an excellent energy carrier that can be directly...

Electrochemical activation of photo- and electrochemical water oxidation catalysts

Our civilization is facing one of the biggest challenges in its entire history: the energy transition. The growing demand for energy, the scarcity of resources and climate change are the three main factors driving the change. Firstly, the world population is expected to keep on growing, and many poor countries are projected to experience rapid...

Spark-Discharge as a Nanoparticle Source to Study Size-Dependent Plasmonic Properties for Photo-electrochemical Water Splitting

This work exploits the ability of the spark discharge particle generator (SDG) to produce metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with control over the size, shape and composition, to unravel the plasmonic mechanisms by which NPs can enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of semiconductor photoanodes. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the SDG and the...