Link to the manuscript – The defense will be in French.
Abstract:
Today, responding to the climate emergency and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions also means optimizing the conversion of existing renewable energy sources such as sunlight, wind, hydropower, etc. into other types of energy (e.g., electrical, chemical, etc.) which, in turn, will then be used in various applications. As such, part of our research activity must be focused on studying and optimizing abundant materials with a low carbon footprint for a positive overall balance.
I am interested in the production of “clean” hydrogen by photoelectrolysis of water, using sunlight and semiconductor oxides. The semiconductor oxide-electrolyte interface plays a central role in this redox reaction. For this reason, the physicochemical characterization of this interface using photoelectrochemical characterization techniques and X-ray spectromicroscopy, at macro- and microscopic scales, is essential and must be carried out according to a rigorous and well-defined methodology. I detail several techniques and methods of analysis at the frontier between electrochemistry, solid-state physics, and the physicochemistry of materials with a view to their usefulness in addressing this research activity. The most significant results, my current research project, and prospects for collaboration and research will be detailed.
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