Objective
"Solar energy is renewable and abundant enough to meet the growing energy demand, but its variability limits the application. Direct storage in the form of a clean fuel, like hydrogen, would solve this problem.
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells employ solar energy to split water molecules producing H2 and O2. Thin films of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) and ZnCuInS2 (ZCIS) have shown remarkable efficiencies in photovoltaics (PV) and preliminary promising results in PEC cells, but costly fabrication. Currently, much attention is being paid to the synthesis of nanocrystals (NCs) of these materials because of their low cost preparation and tunable optical and electrical properties just by controlling the nanometer dimensions of NCs and the composition of the particles, giving more versatility to meet the energetic requirements for water splitting. These new materials in the forefront of PV remain unexplored in water splitting PEC cells to date.
In this project, we propose the fabrication of photoelectrodes based on CZTS and ZCIS NCs to perform the water splitting. First, the control over the size, shape and composition of these NCs will be demonstrated using inexpensive solution-based techniques. Next, two photoelectrode configurations (viz. sensitized metal oxide and 3D-arrays of NCs) will be pursued applying state of the art overlayers to improve the charge separation and the catalytic activity at the interface with water. Finally a PEC device will be assembled that demonstrates a 5% overall solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency. In this research we propose a bottom-up approach whereby the comprehensive analysis of the interfacial charge transfer will both contribute to the basic science of solar energy conversion systems and optimize the performance of very promising materials for direct solar to fuel energy conversion. Our approach will finally create a significant impact on the scientific and general European communities through the dissemination of the field and the results."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry inorganic compounds
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials nanocrystals
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels energy conversion
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy solar energy photovoltaic
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.