Synthesis, Characterization, and Experimental Investigation of New Photoactive Materials for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production

The aim of this project is to use solar energy to produce hydrogen in a hybrid photoelectrochemical (PEC) reactor to increase the solar spectrum utilization and H2 production yield as well as converting the byproducts into commercially valuable commodities. For this purpose, a system consisting of semiconductors, electrocatalysts, and ion selective membranes to carry out a PEC combined with a chloralkali electrolysis process has been developed and tested at Clean Energy Research Laboratory (CERL) at UOIT. The current system has an active membrane photoelectrode assembly (MPEA) and PEC H2 production performance and solar activity of the setup has been tested and verified experimentally at UOIT. During the Mitacs project, by working at Dr. Atif Kocas laboratory, new photoactive materials will be synthesized, characterized, and tested which will then be used in our reactor at UOIT for higher solar H2 production efficiencies and yields.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ibrahim Dincer

Student:

Canan Acar

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

University:

Ontario Tech University

Program:

Globalink