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.

Recent news

Oral presentation: „Morphology design of oxynitride particles for photocatalytic water splitting“

S. Pokrant
Nanomat 2026, Brno, Czechia, July 07-10, 2026

Poster presentation: „Enhancing the photocatalytic activity of BaTaO2N through cocatalyst loading for solar-driven hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions“

P. Zahabi, J. Praxmair, S. Pokrant
Gordon Research Conference, May 3 – 8, 2026, Lucca, Italy

Seminar: 

„Functional materials for renewable energy storage and conversion – sustainable and scalable materials design for photocatalysts and battery materials“

S. Pokrant

MechE Colloquium, 07.04.2026,

EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland

 

 

 

Oral presentation: „Improving the Stability of LaTiO2N Based Photoanodes by Tuning Cocatalyst Deposition“

J. Hörndl
MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference, March 23 – 27, 2026, Barcelona, Spain

This oral presentation by Julian Hörndl was awarded with the Sponsor Prize MDPI for the best tak by an Early Career Researcher.

Oral presentation: „Degradation of oxynitride based photoanodes“

S. Pokrant
76th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, September 07-12, 2025, Mainz, Germany

Oral presentation: „Towards aqueous full Na-ion batteries: Vanadium-based electrodes in a highly concentrated electrolyte“

J. Lam Chen, S. Pokrant
76th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, September 07-12, 2025, Mainz, Germany

 

Latest Publications

 

Performance and stability of LaTiO₂N based photoanodes at varying electrolyte temperatures and irradiances

Julian Hörndl, Jakub Zalesak, Franky E. Bedoya-Lora, Sophia Haussener and Simone Pokrant. EES Solar, 2026, DOI: 10.1039/D6EL00054A

All-vanadium aqueous Na-ion battery full cell enabled by a crowded water-in-salt electrolyte for sustainable energy storage

Julie Lam-Chen, Daniela Söllinger, Jakub Zalesak and Simone Pokrant. Future Batteries (2026).  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fub.2026.100184

Atomic-Scale Characterization of Interfacial Water on LaTiO2N(100)

Deqi Tang, Fabrizio Creazzo, Jakob Praxmair, Simone Pokrant and Sandra Luber. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2026). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c25022

Degradation of oxynitride based photoanodes

Julian Hörndl, Jakub Zalesak, Franky E. Bedoya-Lora, Sophia Haussener and Simone Pokrant. Journal of Materials Chemistry A (2026.).  https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TA06368J

 

 

Device Characterization Methods

                                                                           

   In-operando XRD

  Faraday efficiency measurement Set-up 

  Measurement set-up for hydrogen and oxygen evolution rates