Energy generation and Storage

Transforming solar light in useful molecules and electricity is the major challenge in the field of energy generation and storage.

We investigate photoactive molecular/supramolecular systems and nanomaterials exhibiting harvesting of solar light, photo-induced energy and electron transfer processes, photoluminescence. Our objective is a deep understanding of the fundamental processes that enable the design of efficient devices that convert sunlight to fuels (e.g., H₂, CO, CH₄) and/or electricity (OPV and perovskite cells, DSSCs, luminescent solar concentrators).

As example, we target the direct production of hydrogen from sunlight, using tailored electrodes based on abundant, non-critical raw materials.

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have attracted tremendous attention in the field of thin-film solar cells due to their wide range of applications, especially for semitransparent devices. We can process from solution organic molecules and polymers to obtain photovoltaic blends with low cost and good performance to be used in novel solar cells.