Fundamental Chemistry of Energy Conversion

Along with conventional parameters constraining photovoltaic devices, modification of the electrolyte (solution phase) chemistry is a key to understanding the mechanism of energy conversion and device characteristics of PECs. The fundamental importance of modification of the electrolyte in terms of the distribution of species in photoelectrolytes and the pragmatic importance in terms of enhanced solar to electrical conversion efficiency is reiterated by studies... 

Entropy is the term we use to describe this natural spreading of energy. Applied to chemistry, entropy helps us to answer a most fundamental question If you take two materials and put them together, will they react to form new materials If the reaction results in an overall increase in entropy, then the answer is yes. Conversely, if the reaction results in an overall decrease in entropy, then the reaction will not occur by itself—energy must be supplied to allow the formation of products. 

Electrochemical interfaces play a crucial role in analytical, synthetic and materials chemistry, as well as in chemical and photochemical energy conversion. However, a longstanding difficulty for fundamental studies of the dynamical and stractural... 

Tianquan Lian received his BS degree from Xiamen University in 1985, his MS degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1988 and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. After postdoctoral training in the University of California at Berkeley, he joined the faculty of chemistry department at Emory University in 1996. He was promoted to associate professor in 2002 and full professor in 2005. He has been a recipient of the NSF CAREER award and the Sloan fellowship. His research interest is focused on the ultrafast dynamics of nanomaterials and interfaces. He is particularly interested in fundamental physical chemistry problems related to nanomaterials-based solar energy conversion concepts and devices. These problems include the dynamics of electron transfer, energy transfer, vibrational energy relaxation and solvation at interfaces and in nanomaterials. 

A fundamental understanding of oxidation-reduction reactions is vital to the inorganic chemist in contexts ranging from energy transduction - chemical to electrical and the converse, in technical matters in corrosion processes and metallurgy, redox processes in environmental chemistry and metalloenzymes and metallo-proteins involved in electron transfer. Electron-transfer reactions of transition metal complexes are accompanied by a change in the oxidation state of the metal... 

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