Presenter：Prof. Dunwei Wang, Department ofChemistry, Boston College
Topic：How do we makefuels using water and sunlight?
Time：09：30 AM, October 31st
Location：910-308
Abstract
Solar energy can be directly harvested to powerthermodynamically uphill reactionsthat produce energetic chemicals, promising alarge-scale energy storage and redistribution solution. To enable thesereactions, we need materials that can absorb light, separate charges, andcatalyzespecific chemistries. The materials should be made of earth-abundantelements to allow for large-scale implementations. They also need to beresistant against photo corrosion. Todate, a low-cost, long-lasting material that can produce solar fuels with aneconomically meaningful efficiency remains elusive. In this talk, we present our efforts aimed atunderstanding what limits the development of this important field. Within thecontext of photoanode and photocathode, we show how the photoelectrodeproperties are changed by introducing material components designed forimproving charge transport, surface potential accumulation, and interfacekinetics, respectively. Our results highlight the importance of separatelyunderstanding thermodynamic and kinetic factors in complex systems such as thatfor solar fuel production. Detailed knowledge generated by our researchcontributes to the goal of realizing low-cost, high-efficiency artificialphotosynthesis.
Biography
Dunwei Wang graduated from theUniversity 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 Applied Chemistry (2006). After two years of postdoctoral study withJames R. Heath at Caltech, he joined the faculty of Boston College where he iscurrently an AssociateProfessor of Chemistry. His research concerns the development of new materials that can be usedfor efficient solar energy conversion and storage. He is a recipient of an NSFCAREER award (2011), a Sloan Research Fellowship (2012), a Massachusetts CleanEnergy Center (MassCEC) Catalyst award (2011) and a Japan Society for Promotionof Science Fellowship (2016).
Contact: Prof. Yanguang Li
（责任编辑：张伶联系方式：zhangling10@suda.edu.cn）
