Abstract

Over the years, various strategies have been employed to address the intermittency issue

associated with solar energy. Conventional approaches involve either coupling a photovoltaic

device with a battery (but that inevitably leads to losses due to presence of multiple interfaces),

or synthesizing solar fuels, converting solar energy into chemical energy for subsequent use. This

has normally been achieved through photocatalysis or photo-electrocatalysis. In a tangential

approach, research efforts have instead targeted direct capture and storage of solar energy in a

single device. This approach focuses on formation of a 'solar battery' which is capable of storing

solar energy and subsequently releasing it as an electrical impulse. Efforts to enable PV devices

for storage have been made but face challenges. Integrated bifunctional devices offer a promising

solution, and these have been categorized into traditional, multilayer, and advanced

photoelectrode fabrication approaches, each with distinct advantages and complexities.

Presented in this talk will be our approach which is focused on evaluating a non-trivial polymeric

structure of ionic form of carbon nitride. Details and insight into the material will be presented

that showcase how a single semiconductor is able to leverage its unique chemical structure and

photophysical behaviour to display persistent photo charge accumulation post light exposure.

Keywords: Solar Batteries, Energy Storage, Energy Capture, Carbon Nitrides