We study ways to harness sunlight to generate chemical fuel, specifically by splitting water to generate hydrogen. These efforts have as their final goal the creation of a photoelectrochemical cell similar to the one pictured at right.
This cell consists of nanostructured arrays of anodes and cathodes, oxidation and reduction catalysts, and a central conductive membrane that allows for ion exchange. Various subgroups are addressing the challenges inherent in developing this cell:
We are developing an Electronic Nose that consists of arrays of chemically sensitive conducting polymer films capable of detecting and quantifying a broad variety of analytes.