ProfessorSalvador Eslava

Some more details can be found on our website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/eslava-group/

We work on solar fuels, solar chemicals, photoelectrochemistry, photocatalysis, electrochemistry, 2D materials, photovoltaics:

Photoelectrochemistry: We work on developing new materials and photoelectrode architectures for photoelectrochemical reactions, including water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction. We develop novel approaches to engineer the interface between semiconductors and electrolytes, in order to optimize the performance of the semicoductors and achieve efficient solar energy devices for the production of solar fuels. We develop fabrication methods to tune those interfaces and boost their photoelectrochemical final performance. We also exploit synergies with the photovoltaics and electrocatalysis fields to develop photoelectrodes with buried junctions, protected with carbon catalytic sheets.   We have capacity for electrode synthesis as well as potentiostats, solar simulators, LEDs, monochromators, gas chromatograph, etc. for a full (photo)electrochemical and gas evolution characterization. Materials that we work on include bismuth vanadate, iron oxide, titania, hematite, perovskites, and organic bulk heterojunctions for either photoanodes or photocathodes.

Photocatalysis:We study the discovery and development of promising semiconductor photocatalysts that absorb the solar spectrum and effectively avoid recombination of photoinduced charges. We focus on (i) obtaining high surface area materials and composites using synthesis approaches with scale-up capability, (ii) discovering novel multimetallic oxygen, hydrogen evolution reaction and carbon dioxide reduction electrocatalysts to be coated on semiconductor absorbing layers; and (iii) understanding the kinetics of such interfaces to rationalize the improved activities. We also put emphasis on the reactor design, to enable more efficient reactions in gas and liquid phase. 

Functional Materials: We have a background in materials science and characterization that find applications beyond photoelectrochemistry and photocatalysis, for example in solar cells, thermocatalytic processes, photothermal applications, structural materials for coatings, etc. For example, we develop high surface area materials such as porous metal oxides, graphene derivatives, zeolites, mesoporous silicas, and heterometallic clusters. We focus on bottom-up syntheses using sol-gel, solvothermal, and CVD aproaches and on their extended characterization to relate their properties to their final performance, allowing fundamental understanding needed for their optimization. We cover a wide range of characterization techniques, including HR-TEM, FESEM, XPS, XRD, N₂-ads, spectroscopic ellipsometry, UPS, UV-vis spectroscopy, Raman, and electrochemical techniques such as IMPS, IMVS, EIS, LSV, and RDE.