Photoelectrochemical Device Fabrication Facility

Cube with a water droplet.

LABORATORY

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

CAPABILITY EXPERT

David Larson

CLASS

Benchmarking
Material Synthesis
Process and Manufacturing Scale-Up
System Integration

WATER-SPLITTING TECHNOLOGY

Low-Temperature Electrolysis (LTE)
Photoelectrochemical (PEC)

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Description

This facility has capabilities for design and fabrication of optimized chassis and materials assemblies for water splitting devices. They include a polymer 3-D printer (Connex 350 3D Printer with Water Pressure Cleaner; model: Connex 350/1077L, vendor: Objet) for chassis construction, a database of compatible materials such as plastics and epoxies, and custom tooling for mounting device components during assembly.

Capability Bounds

10x10 cm2 or smaller

Unique Aspects

Capability permits going from water splitting device concept to demonstration in house.

Availability

Facility is in use for JCAP's program but can accommodate additional projects.

Benefit

This capability is central to fabrication of integrated photoelectrochemical devices for water splitting.

Images

schematic

Schematic of PEC water splitting test prototype.

References

Modeling, Simulation, and Fabrication of a Fully Integrated, Acid-stable, Scalable Solar-Driven Water-Splitting System, Karl Walczak, Yikai Chen, Christoph Karp, Jeffrey W. Beeman, Matthew Shaner, Joshua Spurgeon, Ian D. Sharp, Xenia Amashukeli, William West, Jian Jin, Nathan S. Lewis, and Chengxiang Xiang, ChemSusChem 2015, 8, 544-551.

Contact us to find out more about collaboration opportunities and access the capability nodes within the HydroGEN network.