Closed-loop Design of Heterostructures for Solar Energy Conversion
The development of efficient solar energy conversion is one of the
grand challenges of our time. Water splitting, or the disproportionation
of H2O into energy-dense fuels, H2 and O2, is undoubtedly a
promising strategy. We have used a closed-loop materials design
process to develop a new class of nanoscale heterostructures
comprising MxV2O5 nanowires, where M is a p-block cation
characterized by a stereoactive lone pair of electrons and x is its
stoichiometry, interfaced with II−VI semiconductor quantum dots
(QDs). Our signature theoretical design and experimental realization
of SnxV2O5 as a hole acceptor mitigates the longstanding problem of
photocorrosion of quantum dots and provides a powerful
demonstration of using mid-gap states derived from lone-pairs of p-
block cations as acceptors of photogenerated holes.