Overview
- Led by Vrije Universiteit Brussel with collaborators at Stanford, Antwerp and Hasselt, the team examined emerging chalcogenide absorbers for converting sunlight and CO₂ into chemical fuels.
- They mapped electronic band structure, charge transport and electrode interactions, identifying pathways to higher efficiency and improved stability.
- Adding tailored electrocatalysts at reactive interfaces further increased performance and extended operational lifetimes in laboratory tests.
- The approach prioritizes inexpensive, non‑toxic, earth‑abundant compounds to reduce reliance on scarce or hazardous materials in future devices.
- The research is part of the SYNCAT program with funding from FWO and the Flemish Moonshot Initiative via VLAIO, with scale‑up and system integration still to come.