ANR GASPER

Dates:
Oct 2024 – Sept 2028

Project coordinator:
Julien BONIN, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire (IPCM)

Partner laboratories :

• IMN Centre national de la recherche scientifique
• IPCMS Centre national de la recherche scientifique
• CEISAM National Center for Scientific Research
• IPCM Parisian Institute of Molecular Chemistry
• UCCS Centre national de la recherche scientifique
• Clermont Auvergne INP for Laboratoire IP Institut national polytechnique Clermont Auvergne

IMN staff involved:
Eric GAUTRON

Gas diffusion photoelectrodes with solar backlighting for small molecule capture and catalytic reduction

The aim of the GASPER project is to develop and fully characterize a new concept in gas diffusion photoelectrodes. These photoelectrodes will feature backside illumination for CO2 conversion under sunlight. To achieve this, we will be taking advantage of a very recent discovery by one of our partners. He has made it possible to backlight a CIGS solar cell (patent pending). We will implement this device by adding a porous layer to the front of the photoelectrode. A molecular catalyst will be inserted into this layer. Several investigative tools will be employed, such as fast time-resolved spectroscopy, to understand the elementary phenomena at play in the photoelectrode. At the same time, the data collected will be used to feed a multi-physics model. This will simulate the transfer and transport stages, as well as the associated kinetics, in order to optimize the photoelectrode structure by reverse design. Finally, the photoelectrode’s catalytic properties for CO2 conversion will be studied in detail and optimized.