Dr. Marcus Einert, postdoc in the Surface Science division, has been awarded a junior research group funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF).

Einert's research approach pursues the idea of producing hydrogen CO₂-free on the surface of a so-called artificial leaf. The “leaf” consists of inorganic semiconductor materials. The energy from irradiated sunlight is to be used directly where the component is immersed in water to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The funded project specifically aims to optimize possible material combinations with regard to energy efficiency and stability.

The funding is part of the “Artificial Photosynthesis” topic area of the BMBF's SINATRA program and comprises funds of approx. €2.2 million over six years.

To the announcement on the central website of TU Darmstadt. [Unfortunately, the article is only available in German language.]