Lecturer
Dr. Ludovic Troian-Gautier
Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
More information: Lecturer web page
Abstract
Solar energy represents a promising renewable energy source. While photovoltaic technologies have been shown to be very efficient for immediate solar energy conversion to electricity, storing this energy has become a key challenge. One method by which this energy can be “stored” is in chemical bonds. Through various chemical transformations, such as hydrohalic acid (HX) splitting that yields hydrogen gas (H2) and the corresponding halogen (X2) or water splitting into O2 and H2, solar energy is used to form species that can be stored as solar fuels and recombined when needed in a classic fuel cell.
In this presentation, the focus will be on excited-state reactivity, both in solution and at the interface. Excited-state electron-transfer reactions are of essential importance as they provide means to convert solar energy into stored potential energy and chemical bonds. Recent findings, from our research conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and results obtained at my new position at the Université libre de Bruxelles will be presented. These include our efforts to develop layer-by-layer approaches for visible light mediated water oxidation, as well as the development of novel iridium(III) and ruthenium(II) photosensitizers for halide oxidation and photocatalysis.