Functional Materials

Overview of our research interests

RESEARCH

Renewable energy conversion and storage are relevant topics in applied research today, since the use of non-fossil energy sources is essential for the reduction of CO₂ emissions. Solar and wind energy harvesting combined with chemical energy storage in batteries or fuels like hydrogen are essential processes, which need to be improved in efficiency, long-term stability and scalability. Our goal is to contribute to the development of cost effective scalable solutions for energy conversion and storage.

Latest Publications

Hydrothermally Synthesized BiVO₄: The Role of KCl as Additive for Improved Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Activity

Jakob Praxmair, Fabrizio Creazzo, Deqi Tang, Jakub Zalesak, Julian Hörndl, Sandra Luber and Simone Pokrant. ChemElectroChem (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/celc.202500280

Determining the electrochemical properties of SiO₂ for the rational design of siliconbased active materials in lithium-ion batteries.

Michael Karl, Christoph Dräger, Alena Kalyakina, Johanna Poschenrieder, Jakub Zalesak, Gregor Zickler, Stefan Haufe and Simone Pokrant. J Appl Electrochem (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-025-02368-0

V₃O₇·H₂O as a Cathode Material for Aqueous Mg²⁺/Na⁺ Hybrid Electrochemical Cells

V₃O₇‧H₂O as cathode material in an aqueous hybrid cell, upon Mg²⁺ and Na⁺ intercalation, reaches an excellent initial specific capacity of 404 mAh·g^-1 at a practical current density of 100 mA·g^-1. The intercalation mechanism inside the hybrid cell is further investigated by operando XRD, post-mortem transmission electron microscopy measurements and other techniques.

V3O7·H2O as a Cathode Material for Aqueous

Daniela Söllinger, Julie Lam Chen, Jakub Zalesak, Jakob Praxmair, and Simone Pokrant. V3O7·H2O as a Cathode Material for Aqueous Mg2+/Na+ Hybrid Electrochemical Cells. ACS Omega, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.4c08983

Stability and degradation of (oxy)nitride photocatalysts for solar water splitting

Advancing towards alternative technologies for the sustainable production of hydrogen is a necessity for the successful integration of this potentially green fuel in the future. Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting are promising concepts in this context. Over the past decades, researchers have successfully explored several materials classes, such as oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides, in their quest for suitable photocatalysts with a focus on reaching higher efficiencies. However, to pave the way towards practicability, understanding degradation processes and reaching stability is essential, a domain where research has been scarcer. This perspective aims at providing an overview on recent progress concerning stability and degradation with a focus on (oxy)nitride photocatalysts and at providing insights into the opportunities and challenges coming along with the investigation of degradation processes and the attempts to improve the stability of photocatalysts.

Valérie Werner, Franky Bedoya Lora, Ziwei Chai, Julian Hörndl, Jakob Praxmair, Sandra Luber, Sophia Haussener and Simone Pokrant, Stability and degradation of (oxy)nitridephotocatalysts for solar water splitting. RSC Sustainability, May 2024. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00096J

Morphological design of LaTiO₂N particles by topotactic growth mechanisms for photocatalytic applications

TOC

Valérie Werner, Gregor A. Zickler, Simone Pokrant*, Morphological design of LaTiO₂N particles by topotactic growth mechanisms for photocatalytic applications. Progress in Solid State Chemistry 2024, Volume 73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progsolidstchem.2024.100442

Device Characterization Methods

in-operando XRD Faraday efficiency measurement Set-up Measurement set-up for hydrogen and oxygen evolution rates

in-operando XRD Faraday efficiency measurement Set-up set up mit dem Titel Measurement set-up for hydrogen and oxygen evolution rates