The second Molecules and Materials for Artificial Photosynthesis has focused on new developments in the areas of solar to fuel conversion and related molecular and material systems that have been attracting increasing attention such as organ-metal perovskites, plasmonic metal structures, and catalysts based on metal or metal oxides. The meeting brought together experts in materials chemistry, physical chemistry, computational chemistry, electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, physics, catalysis, spectroscopy

The meeting was chaired by Antoni Llobet (ICIQ, Spain) and Jin Zhang (UCSC, USA).

The first day focused on materials and fundamental issues related to water splitting.  The meeting was kicked off by keynote speaker, Prof. Kazunari Domen from The University of Tokyo, on the topic of RECENT ADVANCEMENTS TOWARD LARGE-SCALE APPLICATION OF WATER SPLITTING REACTION.  His talk was followed by invited talks by Dr. James Muckerman from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Prof. Mario Lanza from Soochow University, China, Prof. Lionel Vayssieres from Xian Jiaotong University, China, Prof. Zetian Mi McGill University from Canada, Prof. Dr. Rong Xu from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, Dr. Aleksandra Vojvodic, from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Prof. Douglas Grotjahn from San Diego State University, Prof. Richard Finke from Colorado State University, Dr. Max García-Melchor from Stanford University and Prof. Ken Sakai from Kyushu University Japan.

The first session of second day on Novel Materials for Solar Energy Conversion and Fuel Generation started with the keynote talk by Prof. James Durrant from mperial College London on CHARGE CARRIER DYNAMICS IN OXIDE PHOTOELECTRODES FOR WATER OXIDATION.  His talk was followed by invited talks given by Prof. James McCusker from Michigan State University, Prof. Xiaolin Zheng from Stanford University, Dr. Tzarara Lopez-Luke from Centro de investigaciones en Optica, Prof. Kirk Schanze from University of Florida, Prof. Dr. Matthias Driess from Technische Universitaet Berlin, Prof. Dr. Greta Ricarda Patzke from University of Zurich and Dr. Menny Shalom from Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces.

The second session of the second day on CO2 Conversion: Molecules, Materials, and Fundamental Issues was started by the keynote lecture by Prof. Marc Robert from University Paris Diderot on MOLECULAR CATALYSIS OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CO2 WITH EARTH ABUNDANT METAL COMPLEXES IN APROTIC SOLVENT AND IN PURE WATER.  This was followed by invited talks given by Dr. Etsuko Fujita from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Prof. Qingfeng Ge from Southern Illinois University, Prof. Ying Li from Texas A&M University, Mr. Ernest Pastor from Imperial College London (contributed talk), Dr. Inke Siewert from Georg-August-University Goettingen, Prof. Yulia Pushkar from Purdue University, Prof. Lichang Wang from Southern Illinois University, Prof. Curtis Berlinguette from The University of British Columbia. The session ended with a contributed talk by Mr. Maurin Antoine from Laboratoire d'Electrochimie Moléculaire on NONCOVALENT IMMOBILIZATION OF AN IRON BASED MOLECULAR CATALYST ON CARBON ELECTRODES FOR EFFICIENT CO2-TO-CO CONVERSION IN WATER.

The first session of day three on Dynamics in Solar Energy Conversion started with the keynote lecture by Prashant Kamat from University of Notre Dame on SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM DOTS AND ORGANIC LEAD HALIDE PEROVSKITES FOR NEXT GENERATION PHOTOVOLTAICS.  This was followed invited talks by Prof. Charles Schmuttenmaer from Yale University, Prof. Ying-Chih Pu from National University of Tainan, Prof. Shaohua Shen from Xi'an Jiaotong University, Dr. Craig Richmond from University of Zurich, Prof. Tianquan Lian from Emory University, Dr. Elizabeth Gibson from Newcastle University, Prof. Jeanne McHale from Washington State University, and  Prof. Bart Bartlett from University of Michigan

The second session of day three on Molecular Systems for Soar Fuel Generation featured a keynote lecture by Prof. Antoni Llobet from Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) on MOLECULAR WATER OXIDATION CATALYSIS WITHIN THE ENERGY CONTEXT.  This was followed by invited talks by Prof. Shihe Yang from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Prof. Oliver Wenger from University of Basel, Dr. Dennis Hetterscheid from Leiden University, Prof. Kevin Sivula from EPFL and Prof. Victor Batista from Yale Univeristy.  The session ended with a contributed talk from Prof. Nicolai Lehnert from University of Michigan.

The final session on day four on Molecules and Artificial Photosynthesis started with an invited talk by Prof. Xuan Zhao from University of Memphis on ELECTRO- AND PHOTOCATALYTIC H2 PRODUCTION BY COBALT COMPLEXES WITH PENTADENTATE LIGANDS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS.  His talk was followed by several invited and contributed talks given by Dr. Elisabet Romero from VU University Amsterdam, Dr. Marten Ahlquist from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Dr. Laia Francas Forcada from Imperial College London, Dr. Albert Poater from Universitat de Girona, Dr. József Sándor Pap from MTA Centre for Energy Research, Prof. Elizabeth Papish from The University of Alabama and Mr. Vincent M. Friebe from VU University Amsterdam.

Eight poster presentations were given and four poster awards were presented to the top four presenters; Dr. Fritz Knorr, Dr. Anna Reynal, Dr. Carolina Gimbert-Suriñach and Dr. Jahan Dawlaty.

The meeting was highly interactive with enthusiastic question and answer sessions following each talk. In particular, there is good interaction among researchers including younger faculty, postdoctors, and graduate students. This meeting remains unique with respect to the breadth of participants and focus on new approaches to artificial photosynthesis.

The replacement of fossil fuels by a clean and renewable energy source is one of the most urgent and challenging issues our society is facing today, which is why intense research is devoted to this topic recently. Nature has been using sunlight as the primary energy input to oxidize water and generate carbohydrates (a solar fuel) for over a billion years. Inspired, but not constrained, by nature, artificial systems can be designed to capture light and oxidize water and reduce protons or other organic compounds to generate useful chemical fuels. Significant progress has been made recently in artificial photosynthesis based on molecular chemistry and material science.  However, developments in these two areas have occurred more independently than what is perhaps desired. In the present meeting, we will bring together researchers in these two scientific communities to explore possible synergistic effects of “fusion” between molecular and materials systems.

Key Sessions

1. Fundamentals of light capturing and conversion
2. Water oxidation catalysis
3. Proton and CO2 reduction catalysis
4. Interfacing molecules and materials for photosynthesis
5. Complete cells for the generation of solar fuels

Grant Opportunities

Solar Fuels Network is proud to be a gold sponsor of the #2 Molecules and Materials for Artificial Photosynthesis Conference. Solar Fuels Networks will be providing financial support towards travel and registration fees for PhD students and early-career postdocs who are Solar Fuels Network (SFN) members living in the UK. Solar Fuels Network membership is free and you can sign up at http://solarfuelsnetwork.com/membership/. To apply for funding please use the following link and complete the form following the instructions https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19RSrmH-xQVE8E6LvK6H3luLRC-c-3TRXw9CO9pGDnCU/viewform. Applications must be received before 4th February 2016. There is a limited number of bursaries available, apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Successful applicants will receive up to £500 for travel and registration fees, which will be awarded after a completed expense claim form, original receipts and report of the conference have been received by the SFN.   For any enquires regarding the bursaries, please contact Linnea Luuppala at l.luuppala@imperial.ac.uk. 

Confirmed Speakers

Antoni Llobet (Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia)
MOLECULAR WATER OXIDATION CATALYSIS WITHIN THE ENERGY CONTEXT

James Durrant (Imperial College London)
CHARGE CARRIER DYNAMICS IN OXIDE PHOTOELECTRODES FOR WATER OXIDATION

Prashant Kamat (University of Notre Dame)
SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM DOTS AND ORGANIC LEAD HALIDE PEROVSKITES FOR NEXT GENERATION PHOTOVOLTAICS

Kazunari Domen (The University of Tokyo)
RECENT ADVANCEMENTS TOWARD LARGE-SCALE APPLICATION OF WATER SPLITTING REACTION 

Marc Robert (Paris Diderot University)
MOLECULAR CATALYSIS OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CO2 WITH EARTH ABUNDANT METAL COMPLEXES IN APROTIC SOLVENT AND IN PURE WATER

Greta Ricarda Patzke (University of Zurich)
COBALT-BASED WATER OXIDATION CATALYSTS: BIO-INSPIRED CUBANES VS. SOLID STATE DESIGN

Kevin Sivula (LIMNO | EPFL)
SOLUTION-PROCESSED PHOTOELECTRODE MATERIALS FOR DIRECT AND ECONOMICAL SOLAR FUEL PRODUCTION

James T. Muckerman (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
PHOTOCATALYTIC WATER OXIDATION AT THE SEMICONDUCTOR AQUEOUS INTERFACE: GAN, ZNO AND THE GAN/ZNO ALLOY

József S. Pap (Hungarian Academy of Sciences for Energy Research Center)
CU COMPLEXES WITH BRANCHED PEPTIDES IN SOLUTION AND ANCHORED TO ELECTRODE SURFACE – REDOX PROPERTIES AND ROUTES TO WATER OXIDATION

Shihe Yang (Honk Kong University of Science and Technology)
SOLUTION-PROCESSED NANOSTRUCTURES AND INTERFACES FOR ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Tim Lian (Emory University)
EFFICIENT LIGHT-DRIVEN LONG DISTANCE CHARGE SEPARATION AND H2 GENERATION IN SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM RODS

Shaohua Shen (International Research Center for Renewable Energy)
NANODESIGNED MATERIALS FOR PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL AND PHOTOCATALYTIC SOLAR HYDROGEN GENERATION

Lionel Vayssierres (Xi’an Jiaotong University)
LATEST ADVANCES IN LOW COST SOLAR WATER SPLITTING

Ying Li (Texas A&M University)
SOLAR FUEL PRODUCTION THROUGH HETEROGENEOUS PHOTOREDUCTION OF CO2 WITH H2O

James K. McCusker (Michigan State University)
FIRST-ROW TRANSITION METAL-BASED CHROMOPHORES FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Etsuko Fujita (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
REDUCTION OF CO₂ USING METAL COMPLEXES: SECOND COORDINATION SPHERE EFFECTS AND HYDRIDE TRANSFER REACTIONS

Dennis Hetterscheid (Leiden University)
ELECTROCHEMICAL STUDIES AND IN SITU CHARACTERIZATION OF MOLECULAR WATER OXIDATION CATALYSTS

Victor Batista (Yale University)
STUDIES OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Curtis Berlinguette (The University of British Columbia) 
LOW-TEMPERATURE SYNTHESES OF AMORPHOUS MIXED-METAL OXIDE ELECTROCATALYSTS 

Inke Siewert (The University of Göttingen)
ELECTROCATALYTIC WATER SPLITTING USING COBALT AND COPPER COMPLEXES

Marten Ahlquist (Royal Institute of Technology)
CARBOXYLATED PYRIDINES AS STABILIZING, ACTIVATING AND REACTIVE LIGANDS

Tzarara Lupez-Luke (Centro de investigaciones en Optica)
IMPROVING PHOTOVOLTAIC PROPERTIES OF MULTILAYERED CDS/CDSE/CDSETE/ZNS QUANTUM DOT SENSITIZED TIO2 SOLAR CELLS FABRICATED BY SILAR AND ELECTROPHORESIS METHODS

Mario Lanza (Soochow University)
METAL-OXIDE-SEMICONDUCTOR (MOS) STRUCTURE BASED SILICON PHOTOANODES FOR PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL WATER SPLITTING DEVICES

Xuan Zhao (University of Memphis)
ELECTRO- AND PHOTOCATALYTIC H2 PRODUCTION BY COBALT COMPLEXES WITH PENTADENTATE LIGANDS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS 

Rong Xu (Nanyang Technological University)
METAL-ORGANIC-FRAMEWORK BASED PHOTOCATALYSTS FOR WATER REDUCTION AND OXIDATION 

Bart M. Bartlett (University of Michigan)
DESIGNING CHEMICALLY ROBUST SOLAR-RESPONSIVE OXIDE MATERIALS FOR PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL OXIDATION REACTIONS

Elisabeth Gibson (Newcastle University)
DYE-SENSITIZED NIO PHOTOCATHODES FOR SOLAR FUEL DEVICES

Oliver Wenger (University of Basel)
LIGHT-DRIVEN CHARGE ACCUMULATION IN MOLECULAR SYSTEMS 

Richard G. Finke (Colorado State University)
ELECTROCHEMICALLY DRIVEN WATER-OXIDATION CATALYSIS BEGINNING WITH COBALT-POLYOXOMETALATES: DETERMINATION OF THE TRUE, HOMOGENEOUS VS HETEROGENEOUS CATALYST 

Zetian Mi (McGill University)
PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL WATER SPLITTING AND CARBON DIOXIDE REDUCTION ON METAL-NITRIDE NANOWIRE ARRAYS 

Qingfeng Ge (Southern Illinois University)
MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF CATALYTIC AND ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CO2 

Matthias Driess (Technical University Berlin)
HOW TO UNIFY CATALYTIC PROCESSES FOR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES? MERGING OXYGEN EVOLUTION AND OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTIONS WITH METAL OXIDE CATALYSTS

Lichang Wang (Southern Illinois University)
UNDERSTANDING AND TUNING TRANSVERSE EXCITONS IN ORGANIC MOLECULES

Yulia Pushkar (Purdue University)
RU COMPLEXES UNDER CATALYTIC CONDITION OF WATER OXIDATION

Charles Schmuttenmaer (Yale University)
THZ SPECTROSCOPY:  STUDYING CARRIER DYNAMICS AND SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION IN NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS

Ying-Chih Pu (National University of Tainan)
ULTRAFAST EXCITON DYNAMICS IN ORGANOLEAD BROMIDE PEROVSKITE NANOCRYSTALS

Albert Poater Teixidor (University of Girona)
MECHANISTIC INSIGHT OF THE O-O BOND FORMATION DURING WOC BY IRIDIUM COMPLEXES

Menny Shalom (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)
CARBON NITRIDE MATERIALS FOR ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Xiaolin Zheng (Stanford Univeristy)
ACTIVATING AND OPTIMIZING MOS2 BASAL PLANES FOR HYDROGEN EVOLUTION THROUGH FORMATION OF STRAINED SULPHUR VACANCIES 

Kirk Schanze (University of Florida)
LIGHT HARVESTING POLYMERS FOR ENERGY CONVERSION AND SOLAR FUELS

Aleksandra Vojvodic (Stanford University)
WATER SPLITTING BY TRANSITION-METAL OXIDE MATERIALS 

Max García Melchor (Stanford University)
COMPUTATIONALLY PROBING THE PERFORMANCE OF HYBRID, HETEROGENEOUS AND HOMOGENEOUS IR-BASED CATALYSTS FOR WATER OXIDATION 

Elizabeth Papish (The University of Alabama)
WATER OXIDATION WITH PROTON RESPONSIVE LIGANDS

Douglas Grotjahn (San Diego State University)
TETRADENTATE 2,2'- BIPYRIDINE-6,6'-DIPHOSPHONATE AND RELATED HYBRID PENTADENTATE LIGANDS FOR WATER OXIDATION CATALYSTS

Ken Sakai (Kyushu University)
IMPROVING ROBUSTNESS AND TOF OF COBALT PORPHYRIN WATER OXIDATION CATALYSTS

Vincent M. Friebe (VU University Amsterdam)
HACKING PHOTOSYNTHESIS: BIO-HYBRID PIGMENT-PROTEIN PHOTOELECTRODES

Elisabet Romero (VU University Amsterdam)
LESSONS FROM NATURE ON HOW TO BUILD SOLAR-ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEMS: QUANTUM COHERENCE IS THE KEY