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Scialog: Solar Energy Conversion
2011 Keynote Presentations
Krishnan Rajeshwar
Semiconductor Electrochemistry
Krishnan Rajeshwar, a distinguished professor in the department of chemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, spoke at Scialog on the history as well as the possible potential of inorganic semiconductor-liquid interfaces to produce liquid fuels.
“Despite impressive research advances, only a handful of semiconductor-coated surfaces have made successful transitions from the laboratory to the marketplace,” he said, adding those successes include dye-sensitized material for solar photon conversion as well as materials for self-cleaning and anti-fogging surfaces.
Rajeshwar, one of the top eletrochemists in the U.S. focused primarily on energy issues, noted that when it comes to making efficient solar conversion materials, “the energy payback time -- the time it takes for the energy needed for material synthesis to be recovered back -- can be shrunk by deploying low-temperature synthesis methods.” One of those methods, he pointed out, is electrodepostion.
On the other hand, he noted, payback time can also be reduced by working to ensure that manufacture of semiconductor material is more efficient in terms of energy as well as time spent. One promising method to accomplish this, he suggested, is solution combustion synthesis.
Rajeshwar told Scialog fellows that he has also been exploring the potential and suitability of photoelectrochemical (PEC) methods to create in situ diagnostic tools for semiconductor film formation as well as spectroscopic probes of charge and mass transport at semiconductor/electrolyte interfaces.
Rejeshwar also briefly mentioned his lab’s exploration of the mechanisms of heterogeneous photocatalysis for possible toxic waste treatment and disinfection.
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