Semiconductor materials with nanometre length-scale, for example recently adopted fin-FET Si transistors or emerging two-dimensional semiconductors, provide attractive paths for the continuous miniaturisation and development of next-generation electronic devices. Besides low-scale silicon, graphene and MoS2 are key materials to enable such development. It is well known that many of the electrical properties of such materials are strongly influenced by the interface thin-film layers, that in cases can control and tailor the performance of a device. In our Lab we aim to study how the synthesis, processing, and customisation of such interface layer can provide routes for device improvement.
This work is carried out in collaboration with Prof Jamie Warner and Prof Harish Bhaskaran.
Application of state-of-the art Silicon PV Technology for Electrolysers
We are looking at tangential applications of PV technology and generating green hydrogen using PV-powered alkaline electrolysers one such application for achieving Net Zero by 2050. Global hydrogen need has been estimated to rise to 150 Mt by 2030 while the projected global hydrogen production will plateau at 38 Mt in 2030, with electrolysers accounting for only 0.1 %. Rapid advancements in electrolyser technology are essential to meet rising hydrogen demands, primarily by industries, where hydrogen is a key value-added chemical for manufacturing processes. Hence, we are looking to explore electrocatalyst design by studying reaction mechanisms using ex-situ and operando X-ray spectroscopy. A detailed understanding of electrocatalyst reaction mechanisms will help to design high-performance electrodes that can be integrated with Silicon PV Technology to generate green hydrogen. This work is carried out in collaboration with Prof. Robert Weatherup.
