Symposium Sessions

Please contact the symposium organizers with questions.

This symposium is jointly organized by MRS and MRS-Singapore (MRSS). Photovoltaic (PV) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells are energy technologies that convert sunlight into electricity or fuels. The main component common to both PV and PEC technologies is the semiconductor absorber material, where the sunlight is absorbed and photoactivated charge carriers are transported. Established absorber technologies have matured to the point where PV is now cost competitive against all other energy sources for electricity production, but work remains to achieve even higher efficiencies and lower costs. On the other hand, the technology of generating fuels from photocatalytic processes is far less mature than energy generated by PV, due to stringent selection criteria for suitable photoelectrodes. In addition to solar spectrum-matched band gaps and favorable charge transport required for PV technologies, PEC absorbers must also have band edges that can drive chemistry with photogenerated carriers, sufficient stability to survive in aqueous environments, and catalytic selectivity toward the desired reaction. Thus, additional research and development of emerging inorganic semiconductor absorber materials is needed to diversify the portfolio of existing PV—and especially PEC—solar cell technologies.

This symposium will cover all aspects of emerging inorganic photoabsorber materials, with particular emphasis on materials for photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical solar cells. A wide range of emerging materials will be discussed including SnS, ZnTe, Cu₂O, Sb₂Se₃, Bi₂S₃, MoSe₂, ZnSnN₂, FeWO₄, CuBi₂O₄, CuSbS₂, BiVO₄, AgBiS₂, CsPbCl₃, Cu₂ZnSnS₄, Cu₂BaSnS₄, as well as other novel oxides, chalcogenides, nitrides, and phosphides. Contributions on emerging contacts, buffers, transparent conductors, and other supporting materials for semiconductors such as, Si, CdTe, CIGS, and III-V PV absorbers are of interest, but not these well-established absorbers themselves. This year, we will also consider contributions focusing on emerging photocatalysts, absorber/catalyst interactions, catalyst surface decoration, PEC cell designs, device encapsulants, and other materials supporting photocatalytic processes, in addition to the photoelectrochemical cell absorbers. Contributions on emerging materials for other optoelectronic energy conversion technologies, such as solid-state lighting and photodetectors are also welcome.

Topics will include:

• Materials chemistry & physics, interface science, photoelectrochemistry
• Theory, computation, synthesis, characterization, modelling, and device integration
• Photon, electron, and chemical processes in PEC materials and cells
• Absorber materials, photocatalysts, contact layers, transparent conductors
• Aqueous stability, grain boundariess, defects & dopants, surface passivation
• Data-driven, high-throughput computational and experimental methods

• A tutorial complementing this symposium is tentatively planned.

Invited Speakers:

• Hiroaki Misawa (Hokkaido University, Japan)
• David Mitzi (Duke University, USA)
• Sophia Haussener (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Xiaojing Hao (University of New South Wales, Australia)
• Robert Hoye (Imperial College London, United Kingdom)
• John Gregoire (California Institute of Technology, USA)
• Byungha Shin (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)
• Adele Tamboli (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA)
• Shiyou Chen (Fudan University, China)
• Nicolas Gaillard (University of Hawai‘I, USA)
• Maarja Grossberg (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia)
• Paul Maggard (North Carolina State University, USA)
• Jon Major (University of Liverpool, United Kingdom)
• Roland Marschall (University of Bayreuth, USA)
• Frank Osterloh (University of California, Davis, USA)
• Annabella Selloni (Princeton University, USA)
• Issei Suzuki (Tohoku University, Japan)
• Jiang Tang (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China)
• Roel van de Krol (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Germany)
• Julia Wiktor (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)
• Rong Xu (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Symposium Organizers