Solartochemical

Solartochemical is an interdisciplinary field that studies chemical processes powered by solar energy and designed to convert sunlight into chemical fuels, feedstocks, or useful chemicals. It encompasses the design of materials, catalysts, and systems that harvest, convert, and store solar energy in chemical form, often with an emphasis on sustainability and decarbonization of chemical production.

Key approaches include photocatalysis, where light-activated catalysts drive reactions at ambient or modest temperatures; photoelectrochemical cells that use illuminated electrodes to drive redox reactions; and solar thermochemical cycles that operate at high temperatures to drive redox reactions in solid-state materials. These approaches may be implemented with standalone catalysts, integrated photoelectrodes, or solar reactors that couple light absorption with chemical transformations.

Common goals include producing hydrogen by splitting water, reducing carbon dioxide to fuels or chemicals, fixing nitrogen, and converting biomass or waste streams into valuable products. Materials such as titanium dioxide, cadmium sulfide, narrow-bandgap semiconductors, perovskites, and ceria-based oxides are studied as absorbers or catalysts, often with engineered interfaces to improve charge separation and stability.

Challenges facing solartochemical research include limited solar-to-chemical efficiencies, material degradation under irradiation, high costs, and the need for scalable reactor designs. Addressing these issues requires advances in materials science, catalysis, reactor engineering, and life cycle analysis. The field is global in scope, with efforts in academia, industry, and national laboratories exploring both laboratory-scale demonstrations and pilot plants.

Solartochemical research supports broader goals of sustainable chemical production, energy storage, and carbon management by leveraging the abundant energy of the sun to drive endergonic reactions, reducing reliance on fossil energy sources.