Symposium 16: Frontiers of Solar Energy Harvesting and Functional Nanomaterials: New Materials for Photovoltaics, Solar Fuels and Multifunctional Optoelectronic Devices

Functional nanomaterials with intrinsically new and tailored properties are key elements for developing sustainable solutions for energy harvesting. This symposium will focus on new energy technologies and advanced nanodevices such as the emerging class of inorganic-organic hybrid perovskites, next-generation photocatalysts, solar hydrogen production devices, and eco-friendly multifunctional optoelectronic devices such as quantum-dots LED, flexible electronic devices. Specifically, this symposium will focus on the multifunctional materials and techniques that offer advanced processing, improved properties, and cost and energy-efficient synthesis, with a strong focus on the recent innovation in nanotechnological approaches and the assessment of their industrial impact.

Perovskite solar cell (PSC) materials with general formula ABX₃ manifests disruptive materials innovation in the field of energy harvesting due to their promising photonic properties, low cost and easy solution processability. In view of their excellent semiconductor properties especially tunable band energies, long diffusion length of charge carriers and high absorption coefficients, the halide perovskites have been extensively studied in both hybrid (e.g., CH₃NH₃PbI₃) and all-ionrganic (e.g., CsPbI₃) compositions. However, progress in device efficiency, long-term environmental stability as well as lead-free technologies are essential for the commercial uptake and deployment of the perovskite solar cells. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has emerged as a competitive technology being capable of converting solar energy directly into chemical energy using stable and efficient photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production. Recent developments based on novel system designs have led to significant advances in the fundamental understanding of light-induced charge dynamics and related interfacial chemical reactions and efficiencies as well as long term performance and stability of such new systems. Furthermore, functional nanomaterials like quantum dots crystals, perovskite thin films and hybrid composites have emerged as key materials to develop high performance flexible and stretchable optoelectronic devices for next generation display and biomedical applications.

This event will provide an international forum for presenting technological advances in functional materials for energy harvesting to meet the challenges of sustainable energy and environment technologies. Interested individuals from academia, national laboratories, and industries are invited to contribute by submitting their abstracts along the following topics.

session topics

Innovative processing of functional nanomaterials for optoelectronic and bioelectronics devices

• Understanding of interface-driven functionalities and multi-material heterostructures
• Synthesis, functionalization and assembly of nanomaterials and nanocomposites
• Integration of functional nanomaterials into eco-friendly multifunctional devices (energy storage, flexible display, optoelectronic and bioelectronic devices, etc)
• Scaled-up production of nanomaterials and integration into energy harvesting devices

Functional metal oxide nano- and heterostructures for Photocatalysis and Solar Fuels

• Inorganic nanomaterials for artificial photosynthesis
• Molecular and semiconductor catalytic materials and systems for CO2 reduction
• Nanostructured oxide and nanocomposites for excitonic solar cells

Advanced materials for next generation photovoltaic Devices

• Frontiers of organic, inorganic and hybrid perovskite solar cells
• Solar cell architectures and materials requirements
• Next generation electron and hole transport materials
• Hybrid interfaces and nanocrystalline junctions
• Charge generation, trapping and transport
• Optoelectronic devices based on nanoparticle, nanowires and composites

organizers

Sanjay Mathur, University of Cologne, Germany, sanjay.mathur@uni-koeln.de

Kijung Yong, POSTECH, Korea kyong@postech.ac.kr

Yeon Ho Im, Jeonbuk National University, Korea yeonhoim@jbnu.ac.kr

Min Jae Ko,  Hanyang University, Korea mjko@hanyang.ac.kr

Do-Heyoung Kim, Chonnam National University, Korea kdhh@chonnam.ac.kr

Steven Tidrow, Alfred University, U.S.A.

Eva Hemmer, Ottawa University, Canada

S. R. P. Silva, University of Surrey, UK

Yasuhiro Tachibana, RMIT University, Australia

Flavio de Souza, Universidade Federal do ABC, Brazil

Gunnar Westin, Uppsala University, Stockholm, Sweden

Yoshitake Masuda, AIST, Japan