The Research Vision

The availability of new classes of materials has marked the transition into new eras of humanity, signifying the epochal importance of functional materials for humankind.  Now, it is time to enter the Energy Materials Age.

The continued combustion of fossil fuels to satisfy a growing energy demand has led the world to the brink of a climate crisis. We can no longer transfer carbon from the lithosphere into the atmosphere to obtain our energy, chemicals, materials, and fuels. Our paradigm must change to re-cycle elements already present in the atmosphere or biosphere, i.e., C, H, O, and N, to produce recyclable carriers for renewable energy. Closing the associated water and CO2 cycles will be among the key enablers for this grand challenge, as this holds the key to converting energy to synthetic fuels. Our vision is to create a scientific beacon of excellence for understanding and designing efficient energy conversion, leading the way towards a fossil fuel-free society.

Research questions/hypotheses/objectives. Abundant molecules such as water and CO₂ are the ideal feedstock for the chemical storage of energy created from renewable sources. Two potential routes are splitting water into O₂ and H₂, and converting CO₂ into higher-value products: commodity chemicals (formic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, methane as substitute natural gas), and fuels (longer-chain alkanes, olefines).

Electrocatalysis and photocatalysis are the most promising conversion processes, but low turnover efficiencies and the need for precious metal catalysts are the primary factors preventing widespread adoption. We need to replace rare elements with abundant elements or at least reduce their amounts or discover alternative, inexpensive catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability.

To achieve these goals, we need to establish the scientific knowledge base: we need to understand the fundamental processes, mechanisms, and material properties of photo- and electrocatalysts at the most basic, the atomic scale. We need to establish how the surfaces/interfaces function on a molecular level over a wide parameter range, particularly under the working conditions of the catalysts.

The primary scientific goal of MECS is to study the complex interplay between structures, processes, and mechanisms at surfaces and interfaces critical to electro- and photocatalysts and to establish novel experimental and theoretical tools and concepts to further this understanding (image below). A long-term secondary goal of MECS will be to transfer the fundamental understanding and design of advanced energy materials to applications via interactions with industry and relevant stakeholders.

Atomic-level understanding of the involved processes

Major breakthroughs in energy materials design (abundant, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, stable)

Fundamental research to enable sustainable technologies