Cambridge researchers have enhanced copper oxide semiconductors, achieving a 70% improvement by orienting crystal growth to accelerate charge movement

Cambridge Scientists Discover Simple “Twist” That Supercharges Clean Fuel Generation

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2024-04-29 08:30:01

Cambridge researchers have enhanced copper oxide semiconductors, achieving a 70% improvement by orienting crystal growth to accelerate charge movement, promising advances in sustainable fuel technologies.

Scientists have discovered a method to super-charge the ‘engine’ of sustainable fuel generation – by giving the materials a little twist.

The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, are developing low-cost light-harvesting semiconductors that power devices for converting water into clean hydrogen fuel, using just the power of the sun. These semiconducting materials, known as copper oxides, are cheap, abundant and non-toxic, but their performance does not come close to silicon, which dominates the semiconductor market.

However, the researchers found that by growing the copper oxide crystals in a specific orientation so that electric charges move through the crystals at a diagonal, the charges move much faster and further, greatly improving performance. Tests of a copper oxide light harvester, or photocathode, based on this fabrication technique showed a 70% improvement over existing state-of-the-art oxide photocathodes, while also showing greatly improved stability.