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Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy

Article  in  ACS Energy Letters · January 2019

DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411

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Cite This: ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410
Photochemical Conversion and Storage of
Solar Energy
T he 22nd International Conference on Photochemical
Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy (IPS-22) was
held in Hefei, China, July 29−August 2, 2018. “Every
two years, after the Olympic Games or after the FIFA World
Cup, IPS is held,” said Detlef W. Bahnemann (Leibniz
University of Hannover, Germany), Chairman of the 20th and
21st IPS. This humorous statement about the meeting time also
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demonstrates that the 44 year long tradition of the IPS
conference series has been once again continued. According to
the recall of Prashant V. Kamat (University of Notre Dame,
U.S.A.), IPS-0 was initiated as a workshop on “The Current
State of Knowledge of Photochemical Formation of a Fuel” in
1974 and chaired by Norman N. Lichtin (Boston University,
U.S.A.).1,2 To date, the IPS series has been one of the most
important conferences in the fields of photochemistry and solar
energy utilization, offering a brilliant platform to discuss the
latest advances in renewable energy research and to enhance
regional and international collaborations.
The IPS torch was passed to China again 26 years later after
the ninth IPS conference in Beijing,2 1992, chaired by Songyuan
Dai (North China Electric Power University, China) and Jinhua
Ye (Tianjin University, China and National Institute for
Materials Science (NIMS), Japan). Figure 1 is a group photo
of the representatives of local organizers and international
organizing committee at the conference opening ceremony. IPS-
22 attracted over 800 delegates, 14 plenary talks, 35 keynote
talks, 105 invited and oral presentations, and 233 poster
presentations. A broad range of topics was covered and
organized into the following sessions:
1. Solar water splitting and CO2 conversion
2. Environmental and synthetic photocatalysis
3. Photoelectrochemical conversion and devices
4. Molecular and biomimetic photosynthesis
5. Photoinduced charge carrier transfer, mechanism, and
modeling
6. Hybrid organic−inorganic perovskite solar cells
7. Dye-sensitized solar cells/organic solar cells
8. Semiconductor quantum dots and perovskite materials
for luminescence
9. Novel photovoltaic materials and devices
10. Energy storage materials, devices, and applications
Sessions 1−5 focused on photo(electro)catalysis, while topics
6−9 were mainly about photoelectrochemical devices, typically
novel thin-film solar cells. Regarding session 10, it is the first time
that IPS listed it as an individual topic, in view of particular
importance of solar energy storage. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs,
session 6) were the dominant topic of IPS-22 due to their rapid
rise as a promising future photovoltaic technology. Besides,
research on semiconductor photocatalysis for solar fuel synthesis
and environmental applications (sessions 1 and 2) retained
strong interest. Figure 2 gives a snapshot of a plenary talk at IPS-
22.
© XXXX American Chemical Society
Energy Focus
http://pubs.acs.org/journal/aelccp
The first plenary lecture given by Michael Grätzel (É cole
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland)
provided an overview of the history of semiconductor
photoelectrochemistry since the 1970s when artificial photo-
synthesis was in its infancy. Later in 1991, following the
progressive development of nanotechnology and synthetic dyes
with broad spectral response, strategical coupling of mesoscopic
TiO2 films with Ru dyes led to his great invention of the dye-
sensitized solar cell (DSC), and the engineering installation of
colorful semitransparent DSC panels in the SwissTech
Convention Center on the EPFL campus was shown. Then
the recent advances in PSC materials and devices were
addressed in detail. The design concept was extended to the
field of solar fuel synthesis, and high-efficiency photo-
electrochemical cells for H2 generation and CO2 reduction
were highlighted.
The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSC increased
sharply from 3.8% in 2009 to 23.3% in 2018, which is now
comparable to that of crystalline silicon solar cells, while stability
remains an issue. From another angle, the presentation by
Prashant V. Kamat ranged from semiconductor quantum dot
(QD) solar cells to hybrid and all-inorganic (CsPbBr3) PSCs.
The light-induced charge carrier generation and transport across
interfaces and the influences of the qualities of films and
interfaces on cell stability were discussed. In addition, perovskite
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with strong and narrow emission
were addressed for promising industrial applications.
Hybrid Organic−Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells. In this
highlighted session of IPS-22, the golden triangle, namely,
efficiency, cost, and stability, of hybrid pervoskite solar cells was
comprehensively discussed. Efficiency was the hottest subject,
and a world record of 23.3% has been reached. The cell
efficiency value can be independently certified by different
bodies. However, the definition of stability has not been
standardized. Various different measurement conditions have
been reported. Ultimately, survival of the device at a high
temperature in sunlight is the only relevant condition, and
Michael Grätzel set that hurdle as 1000 h at 60 °C, the practical
temperature of a solar cell in use.
Sang-Il Seok shared his experiences in high-efficiency PSC
fabrication. During the past years, he has set several world record
performances. Both Nam-Gyu Park and Liyuan Han presented
their fabrication techniques for large-area perovskite films and
modules with low defect density. A large-area, stable, and
hysteresis-free PSC has been produced by Park through the
combination of a Lewis acid−base adduct, interfacial engineer-
ing, and coating techniques. Han reported the development of a
new graded heterojunction structure of PSCs using formami-
Received: December 11, 2018
Accepted: December 24, 2018
405 DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411
ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410
ACS Energy Letters
Figure 1. Local organizer and international organizing committee members at the conference opening ceremony, IPS-22 meeting in Hefei,
China. (Photo courtesy of Xin Xia.)
Figure 2. Prof. Michael Grätzel delivering the Plenary Lecture at the IPS-22 meeting, Hefei, China. (Photo courtesy of Xin Xia.)
dinum perovskite (PCE of 19.2%) and fabricated large-area
perovskite films via a soft-cover deposition method. The
research of Yi-Bing Chen has been focused on chemical
modification and charge recombination of the interface between
the perovskite layer and the hole transport material (HTM)
layer. It was suggested that the band alignment at the
perovskite−HTM interface can be tuned to improve the solar
cell efficiency via adsorption of para-substituted benzenethiol
molecules on the surface of the perovskite layer. A PCE of 20.2%
can be achieved through this method, and more importantly,
benzenethiol modification resulted in a significant improvement
in stability of PSCs. A state of art PSC with a certified PCE of
22.7% was achieved through manipulation of the defects at grain
boundaries and engineering of the interconnecting hetero-
junction, as presented by Yang Yang.
In consideration of thermal stability and output voltage,
Tsutomu (Tom) Miyasaka proposed that metal oxide electron
transport layers (ETLs) could significantly benefit the thermal
stability and elevate the output voltage of the PSC. TiO2 ETL-
406
Energy Focus
based multication perovskite cells yield PCEs over 21% and Voc
values above 1.15 V and in ambient air exhibit thermal stability
in a wide temperature range (−80 to 100 °C). Such performance
enables perovskite devices to work as a power source of high-
output voltage even under weak light.
Joseph Luther produced cubic-phase CsPbI3 QDs with a high
open-circuit voltage of >1.2 V and PCE over 13%, which has
potential application in both photovoltaics and LEDs.
As well as competing on the PCE and thermal stability,
removing the lead is another important issue that may affect the
acceptance of PSCs. Shuzi Hayase proposed halogenated SnPb
and SnGe PSCs to reduce the use of Pb. The lead-free SnGe
mixed metal PSC shows good stability in ambient atmosphere
and yields a PCE of 7.9%, while the SnPb PSC offers an energy
efficiency of 18.9%. Eric Wei-Guang Diau and his group
investigated the role of ethylenediammonium diiodide (EDI2)
additives in FASnI3 perovskite. They concluded that the
presence of EDI2 can serve to control the film morphology,
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411
ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410
ACS Energy Letters
minimize the Sn2+/Sn4+ oxidation, and reduce the defect states
at the surface for better charge separation.
Several speakers discussed the degradation of PSC devices in
more detail under the extrinsic conditions of high temperature,
strong light, oxygen, and moisture and the intrinsic conditions of
phase changes, surface chemistry, grain boundaries, twinning,
and composition variation. A variable in the design of the cells
was the range of structures, p−i−n planar, p−i−n mesoporous,
and n−i−p inverted. From an intrinsic viewpoint, the
mesoporous designs were seen as less stable due to the higher
surface area susceptible to recombination and chemical
degradation, while there were a range of inert capping concepts
and materials suggested to protect the PSC such as perylene.
However, it was recognized that the classical MAPbI3 and
FAPbI3 formulations may be inherently unstable as a result of
the breakdown of the molecules when subject to attack by
moisture, a likely event over long-term exposure to the
atmosphere. This breakdown explained why additional PbI2
can enhance or partially stabilize efficiency as the formation of
this compound is the first step in humidity-based degradation.
The second degradation step of formation of HI from the MAI
leads to creation of iodine that is mobile in the structure. Hence,
there were some presenters who effectively proposed that every
component of the most well-known formulation, MAPbI3, is
unstable. This was the reasoning behind the significant number
of papers dealing with solid-state devices. Here the Goldschmidt
tolerance factor was the subject of discussion along with
recognition that the cubic phase of the perovskite is the
preferred phase for high stability. Meanwhile, Wanjian Yin
proposed an additional criterion, the octahedral factor, the
relationship between the radii of the B and X ions. Songyuan Dai
systematically studied the mechanism of the instability of the
APbI3 compounds and designed and prepared new mixed-
dimensional [(NH4)2.4(FA)n−1PbnI3n+1.4]0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15 hy-
brid perovskites and used these as an absorber in solar cells.
Notably, when the unsealed mixed-dimensional perovskite
device was stored under humidity over 90% for 24 days, the
PCE showed no apparent decrease, demonstrating an excellent
long-term stability under this test condition. With the long-term
stability and high-efficiency properties, the mixed-dimensional
perovskites might replace the traditional perovskite materials
and show good commercialization prospects.
Returning to performance enhancement, those who had a
previous history in DSC could recognize some well-known
chemical techniques to improve both efficiency and stability
such as tBP and guanadimium. Those who based their designs
on the tolerance factor had found that addition of K+ to the A site
helped to stabilize and enhance the performance. A number of
other cation modifications were reported, particularly by those
who had based the perovskite on tin as an alternative to the more
toxic lead, in which case one of the challenges to be addressed is
to stop the oxidation of the divalent tin. From the wide selection
of component ions presented, there are still many openings for
perovskite compositions, including modifying the X component
by partially or fully removing the iodide, with bromide being
currently the preferred alternative, while performance suffers.
Of course, the PSC is not simply the perovskite layer, and each
other element, electron conductor, ETL, hole transport layer
(HTL), and hole conductor (HTM) attracted the attention of
speakers. Enhancement of the interface connection to the ETL
involved a distinctly broad range of additives, coatings, and
dopants, with no particular winner in this race yet, though the
argument for polystyrene was persuasive. The HTM has
407
Energy Focus
attracted a lot of attention, with the recognition that the
classical spiro from the organic photovoltaic (OPV) era is both
too expensive and unstable. Both organic and inorganic hole
conductors were demonstrated, some going back to the early
days of solid-state DSCs at EPFL, with the likely winners coming
from inorganic candidates such as CuSCN and LiCoO2 and
high-stability organics such as the phthalocyanines, maybe
compounded with nickel. However, the door is still wide open
for new candidates. These alternatives also eliminate the need to
protect the Au conductor from metal ion migration through the
HTM. However, more appropriate treatment may be to
eliminate gold as the conductor and replace it with a cheap
and stable alternative such as either Cu or carbon, even though
the initial “hero” efficiency may suffer. The promoters of high
stability for outdoor long life contend that stable PSCs at 20%
will compete effectively in the electricity market. At this
conference, there was not much attention on low light
advantages of PSCs that make it such a good candidate for
BIPV and any city condition for which the conference major
sponsor SunGrow is developing systems.
Several talks addressed manufacturing, including the recog-
nition that spin coating with only about 1% material utilization
and non/continuous deposition must be replaced by blade or
slot die printing and that the coating solutions must be resistant
to atmospheric conditions. One approach is to utilize solvents
such as acetonitrile that have a high vapor pressure to displace
water. Antisolvents also attracted attention as did soft-cover
technology in both cases to produce smooth perovskite films of
controlled thickness. However, it seems that the current
technology status depends on capping of the perovskite with a
hydrophobic organic material or with a thin layer of an inorganic
such as lead sulfate.
In statistical summary, the number of papers currently
published on PSCs is more than 9000 and still growing rapidly.
It seems that AI will become a necessary tool to analyze the
relationships between the vast array of materials, designs, and
processes.
Photocatalysis, Photoelectrochemical Conversion, and Devices
were extensively discussed in sessions 1−5. Six plenary
presentations were delivered by Michael R. Hoffman, Detlef
W. Bahnemann, Wonyong Choi, Licheng Sun, James R.
Durrant, and Bunsho Ohtani, respectively. Michael R. Hoff-
man’s lecture emphasized the use of atomic layer deposition
(ALD) in precisely tuning the surface charge densities of
electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen and chlorine evolution
reactions (OER and CER). Bahnemann addressed the urgent
challenges in photocatalytic organic synthesis. The key issue lies
in how to control the interfacial charge transfer process so as to
achieve a high selectivity and yield. Especially, a nonselective
photo-oxidation process by a hole and derivatives should be well
controlled. Choi presented strategies for designing coupled
semiconductors with heterojunctions at the interface for
efficient photo(electro)catalytic solar fuel synthesis and environ-
mental remediation, with special emphasis on the photo-
reductive O2 activation for H2O2 production. Sun summarized
their research progress in artificial photosynthesis during the
past 20 years in Sweden with his colleagues. A range of dye
molecules were synthesized for various photochemical con-
version systems. Durrant provided illumination on photo-
catalysis kinetics based on LEDs, rather than lasers. Transient
absorption spectroscopy (TAS) has been employed to measure
the photogenerated hole lifetime and investigate the kinetic
dependences of photocatalysis in TiO2 films of varying
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411
ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410
ACS Energy Letters
morphology. Ohtani developed reversed double-beam photo-
acoustic spectroscopy as a powerful characterization tool for
charge carriers (using TiO2 photocatalysis as the baseline). He
captivated the audience through a personal image analogy with
Steve Jobs, how the current criteria for defining a photocatalyst
is inadequate, concluding that active photocatalysts are all alike
but every inactive one is inactive in its own way.
At IPS-22, several presentations concentrated on the active
photocatalysts and related strategies to photocatalytic activity
enhancement. TiO2 and its coupled systems were still the most
popular photocatalysts. Fundamental studies mainly focused on
crystal and band engineering, surface modification, charge
carrier transfer, and the underlying photocatalytic reaction
mechanism. Their applications in photocatalytic solar fuel
production, CO2 reduction, and environmental purification
were comprehensively discussed, and novel characterization
techniques have been developed to improve the deep under-
standing of the relationship between surface properties and the
photocatalytic mechanism of nanosized TiO2. Polymeric g-C3N4
was another hot photocatalyst owing to its metal-free nature,
nontoxicity, processability, and stability. Photocatalytic Cr(VI)
reduction, organic degradation, CO2 reduction, H2 generation,
and bacterial inactivation were addressed by several scientists.
Bi-containing (e.g., BiVO4, Bi2O3, Bi2Sn2O7, BiOBr, and BiOCl)
photocatalysts attracted attention.
It may be easy to see that using single-component
photocatalysts is insufficient to achieve high photocatalytic
activity. Several novel coupling systems have been developed to
suppress the large quantity of charge carrier recombination
widely occurring in single semiconductor systems. Various
narrow-band semiconductors, plasmonic metal nanoclusters,
surface grafting, Ru-complex sensitizers, cobalt sulfide, and
phosphosulfide were developed to extend the light absorption
spectrum and to improve the charge carrier separation.
Typically, when two different band structure semiconductors
are coupled, a heterojunction, p−n homojunction, and Z-
scheme photocatalyst can be built up. The last mentioned
presents a new class of photocatalyst in which charge carriers
separate through recombination between electrons in the lower
conduction band and holes in the higher valence band, and these
were heatedly discussed by Akihiko Kudo, Jiaguo Yu, Hiroshi
Irie, Ji-Jun Zou, Xiwang Zhang, Qiuye Li, and Zaicheng Sun.
However, the methodology of the underlying interfacial charge
carrier transfer was still ambiguous. Moreover, 2D nanomateri-
als, such as the graphene family and MoS2, were used as electron
collectors for coupled photocatalysts, efficient water splitting,
CO2 reduction, and environmental disinfection by Xiwang
Zhang, Jungang Hou, and Xuanhua Li.
Potential applications of TiO2 photocatalysis discussed were
largely in the environmental area, which included:
• metal inks photodeposited on the surface of various
commercial TiO2 films for metal micropatterns and
photocatalytic activity assessments by Andrew Mills
• self-cleaning and plasmon-free surface-enhanced Raman
scattering (SERS) and substrate fabrication by grafting
chiral carbon nanotubes with TiO2 nanocrystals by
Jinlong Zhang
• conversion of ethylbenzene to (R)-1-phenylethanol with
highly selective activation of C−H bonds by strategic
cooperation of photocatalytic-generated H2O2 with
enzymes by Jonathan Z. Bloh
408
Energy Focus
• two very interesting applications in the biological field,
production of rare sugars and improvement of germina-
tion of seeds, both using photocatalysis by Kazuya Nakata.
Nanostructured photoelectrochemical electrodes were also
fabricated for solar water splitting. Photocathodes of Cu2O-
modified or -coupled TiO2 and α-Fe2O3 photoanodes,
Cu3Nb2O8, nanostructured p-type Si, and photoanodes of
SrTaO2N, LaTaO2N, β-Fe2O3, YFeO3, and Ta3N4 were
presented. Tandem cells based on Si, PSC, and DSC for solar
water splitting were developed to improve the solar to hydrogen
conversion efficiency. A heated discussion about the photo-
induced charge carrier transfer mechanism occurred.
DSCs and OPVs. DSC, a low-cost solar cell belonging to the
group of thin-film solar cells, has been widely considered as a
suitable option for low-density applications. Malapaka Chan-
drasekharam from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technol-
ogy (IICT) spoke about synthesis and evaluation of stable and
efficient new metal-free organics, phthalocyanine as well as
ruthenium-based dyes, as sensitizers for DSC application. Their
work achieved a certified world record efficiency of 11.40%
employing a small organic molecule, designed and developed at
IICT, as the coadsorbent in a black dye-based device.
Kyungkon Kim demonstrated colorful, semitransparent OPVs
with a single broad-band-absorbing active material of fixed
thickness using Ag−TiOx−Ag color filters (CFs). The CF
enables the OPV to transmit spectrally pure colors with peak
transmission efficiencies surpassing 25% and allows the colors to
be freely tuned without disturbing the charge transport
properties such that the device performance stays consistent.
Wenping Hu introduced newly developed applications of 2D
form nanostructures in optoelectronic devices. Zhen Li
delivered a lecture about the structure-packing and functionality
relationship of π-molecules with different optoelectronic
properties.
Quantum Dots and Luminescence. Regarding semiconductor
QDs for luminescence applications, all-inorganic perovskite
cesium lead halide has been extensively discussed as a promising
material for next-generation light-emitting diode QDs. This is
due to the outstanding photoluminescence (PL) properties of
this type of material and benefits from quantum effects. Jianjun
Tian reported the synthesis of core−shell structured cubic
CsPbBr3(α-CsPbBrx) perovskite QDs via a facile hot injection
method and centrifugation process. The core−shell structure
QDs showed a record blue emission PL quantum yield (PLQY)
of 84%. By transformation of the crystal structure into a highly
crystallized γ phase, the record blue PLQY can rise to 91% at 480
nm. However, the development of metal halide perovskite LEDs
has been impeded by their fast carrier diffusion and poor stability
in bias conditions. A 2D core−shell structure (i.e., quasi-2D
CsPbBr 3 quantum well homogeneously surrounded by
inorganic crystalline Cs4PbBr6 of large bandgap) was designed
and synthesized by Zhijun Ning to facilitate radiative
recombination with a high PLQY and improve the device
operational lifetime. Longwei Yin reported the extra long term
stable cubic CsPbI3 prepared by polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone-
induced surface passivation engineering. Such obtained cubic-
CsPbI3 PSCs exhibit an extra long carrier diffusion length, high
PCE, and excellent thermal/moisture stability.
Besides exploring the PL properties of novel metal halide
perovskites, several presentations were focused on how to
achieve unconventional properties and high performance by
engineering conventional PL materials, e.g., CdSe and CdS, at
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411
ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410
ACS Energy Letters
the nanoscale probe/film interface, another important issue
raising general interest. Chaodan Pu and Xiaogang Peng from
Zhejiang University had identified common electron and hole
traps on typical QDs and reported the synthesis approach of
monodisperse colloidal CdSe/CdS core−shell QDs with nearly
100% radiative decay in the intrinsic PL decay channel. Jinxing
Zhang proposed a novel nanoscale bandgap engineering
approach via visible light excitation across the inhomogeneous
BiFeO3 ferroelectric interface. The high photoelectric perform-
ance in this complex oxide indicates that the induced
photovoltaic, photoemission, and photocatalyst effects applied
in the visible light region may be integrated with future
microelectronic devices.
Novel Photovoltaic Materials. To supplement sessions 6−8,
some other novel photovoltaic materials and devices have been
discussed under this theme, among which, colloidal quantum
dot (CQD) solar cell devices based on PbS are a compelling idea
owing to their tunable bandgap, broad light adsorption
spectrum, solution processablility, low loss, and high stability
(though toxic). Chengwu Shi deposited novel compact PbS QD
thin films on TiO2 nanorod arrays and demonstrated a
considerably high conversion efficiency. Wanli Ma developed
CQD solar cells using both PbS and emerging CsPbI3 perovskite
QDs with PCEs up to 12.55%. Haibin Wang combined PbS QD
and ZnO nanowire structures to promote carrier transport and
light absorption in the near-infrared region. By employing a PbS
sensitized solar cell and TeO2 capping layer, Xiaoliang Zhang
composed stable semitransparent QD solar cells with a PCE of
8.4%.
As well as PbS, Sb2Se3, ZCISe, and CZTSSe also attracted
great attention for their promising photovoltaic properties and
QD applications. Jiang Tang reviewed their recent progress in
Sb2Se3 thin-film photovoltaics, including the basic chemical and
optoelectronic properties of Sb2Se3; 7.6% CdS/Sb2Se3 solar cells
with a Sb2Se3 layer were produced by vapor transfer deposition,
and a 5.9% ZnO/Sb2Se3 device was demonstrated to present
outstanding stability. Xinhua Zhong developed a capping ligand-
induced self-assembly approach for the deposition of Zn−Cu−
In−Se (ZCISe) alloy QDs on a TiO2 electrode, offering a
certified PCE of 11.6%. Yi Zhang investigated the interface of
Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells. Dai-Bin Kuang
proposed a lead-free Cs2AgBiBr6 double perovskite nanocrystal
structure that exhibited excellent stability and performed
photocatalytic CO2 reduction. In addition, a novel cone-shaped
Si nanohole (SiNH) structure has been designed and fabricated
to enhance the interface contact between SiNHs and an organic
layer using an advanced metal-assisted chemical etching
method, as presented by Shanglong Peng. There are abundant
material options still to explore for QD solar cells.
Energy Storage Materials and Batteries. It was the first time for
IPS series to launch an individual session for energy storage
technology, considering “energy storage could be the most
critical part of the future of photovoltaics” (as John Bell
mentioned in his talk). A wide range of electrochemical devices
for energy storage including Li-ion batteries, Li−S batteries,
redox flow batteries, supercapacitors, and solar fuels were
covered and discussed in this session.
• Hong Li summarized current developments in energy
storage technology at the Institute of Physics, Chinese
Academy of Sciences. A long-term effort has been devoted
to the commercialization of their solid-state lithium ion
battery.
409
Energy Focus
• Guozhong Cao compared the electrochemical properties
of Mn-based (MnO, MnS, and MnNCN) electrodes for
Li-ion capacitors. MnO mesocrystals as promising anodes
offer a high capacity of 637 mAh/g at 100 mA/g and
excellent cycling performance against degradation. For
MnNCN, the more covalent bonding nature of Mn−N
leads to a lower discharge potential in Li-ion batteries.
Metastable MnS was demonstrated to be a better choice
for Li-ion battery anodes than the stable MnS.
• Shihe Yang presented preparation strategies in interfacing
and assembling various nanostructures by solution
processes. The resulting architectures have been explored
as electrocatalysts and photoelectrochemical electrodes.
• Guoxiu Wang presented their progress in materials
nanoarchitecture design of graphene nanosheets, tin-
graphene and silicon-graphene nanocomposites for high-
rate or high-capacity lithium/sodium/potassium batter-
ies.
• Jana Timm shared their cell and stack design for their
newly developed photoelectrocatalytic redox flow bat-
teries by strategically integrating the technologies of TiO2
photoelectrocatalysis and vanadium redox batteries.
• Yanglong Hou delivered a talk to introduce the rational
design of carbon nanoarchitectures as cathodes for
lithium−sulfur batteries. A high sulfur loading up to
90% was achieved for novel hollow graphene nanoshells,
with very stable cycling life.
• Haobin Wu discussed the application of nanostructured
materials derived from metal−organic frameworks
(MOFs) as electrode materials for batteries and electro-
catalysts for generation of fuels, as well as composite
electrolytes developed with the assistance of MOFs.
• Weiqing Yang utilized two novel materials of hierarchical
tubular carbon nanotubes and 2D Ti3C2Tx as electrodes
of a flexible microsupercapacitor.
• Ying Wang showed a porous heterostructured MoO2/
Mo2N nanobelt cathode for rechargeable zinc-ion
batteries.
Prospects and Conclusions. A prosperous picture of solar energy
utilization and its related research was shown at IPS-22. It is no
doubt that PSCs caught the spotlight. Meanwhile, more
conventional topics such as photocatalysis and photochemical
conversion are still bursting with vitality and reserving new
potentials. A few topics may become marginally important
compared with their popularity in the previous years. However,
good science does not concern popularity; the emerging hot
topics are rather new sprouts developed from old roots. The
organizer of each IPS conference has to have a balance between
the hot spots and fundamental questions of solar energy
conversion.
At IPS-22, a very condensed and well-organized schedule was
carefully planned by the local conference organizer. A number of
awards, including young talents and poster awards, were granted
to recognize research students and young scholars for their
participation and excellence. The local government of Anhui
Providence and Hefei City offered tremendous support for this
international event. In a sense, this reflects the recognition by the
Chinese government of the essential role of solar cell technology
and photochemistry for a green energy future. Promoting
renewable energy and a green economy has become the main
objective of China’s science and technology policy in recent
years. The nation made great efforts to shift away from energy
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411
ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410
ACS Energy Letters Energy Focus

generated from fossil fuels. The PV industry is one of the key Laboratory of Novel Thin Film Solar Cells, and Beijing Key
fields that is still striving to upgrade the technology. In this Laboratory of Energy Safety and Clean Utilization.
context, IPS-22 provided a great opportunity to promote
regional research cooperation and foster new collaborations and
partnerships between academia and industry for solar energy
■ REFERENCES
(1) Bolton, J. R. The Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar
utilization. Energy: An Historical Perspective. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 1995, 38,
We are grateful to all of the wonderful speakers and generous 543−554.
sponsors. Owing to their support, IPS-22 can be regarded as a (2) Kamat, P. V. A Scientific Journey − Autobiographical Notes of
big success in all aspects. IPS-23 will be chaired by Mohammad Prashant V. Kamat. J. Phys. Chem. C 2018, 122, 13207−13209.
Khaja Nazeeruddin and held at EPFL, Switzerland. We are
looking forward to a most successful IPS-23.
Xin Xia†
Jia Hong Pan*,†
Xu Pan‡
Linhua Hu‡
Jianxi Yao†
Yong Ding†
Defa Wang§
Jinhua Ye*,§,∥
Songyuan Dai*,†
†
State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System
with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power
University, Beijing 102206, China
‡
Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation
Materials, Institute of Applied Technology, Hefei Institutes
of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei
230031, China
§
TJU−NIMS International Collaboration Laboratory,
Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China
∥
International Center of Materials Nanoarchitectonics
(WPI−MANA), National Institute for Materials Science
(NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan

■ AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Authors
*E-mail: pan@ncepu.edu.cn (J.H.P.).
*E-mail: jinhua.ye@nims.go.jp (J.Y.).
*E-mail: sydai@ncepu.edu.cn (S.D.).
ORCID
Xu Pan: 0000-0003-3770-7918
Linhua Hu: 0000-0002-0513-2999
Defa Wang: 0000-0001-7196-6898
Jinhua Ye: 0000-0002-8105-8903
Songyuan Dai: 0000-0001-5710-9208
Notes
Views expressed in this Energy Focus are those of the authors
and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
The authors declare no competing financial interest.

■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge support of the National
Basic Research Program of China (2016YFA0202400,
2014CB239300), the K.C. Wong Education Foundation,
Hong Kong, and the National “111” Project (No. B16016).
This work is supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (No. 51572080, 51772094, U1705256,
51702096, 51772095), Fundamental Research Funds for the
Central Universities (No. JB2018ZD07, JB2016004), Beijing
Natural Science Foundation (No. 2172052), Beijing Key
410 DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.8b02411
ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 405−410

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