MSE Seminar – Prof. Hao WU (21 October 2025)

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems have long been recognized as powerful platforms for solar energy conversion, enabling sustainable production of green hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide, and other value-added molecules. Nanoengineering of oxide semiconductors has achieved highly efficient and stable energy conversion. These studies provided fundamental insights into charge carrier dynamics, catalytic selectivity, and, more recently, the role of polarons as a quantum-level phenomenon bridging physics and materials science. Afterwards, the PEC concepts have been extended beyond energy to the biomedical domain. Specifically, PEC biosensors have been developed for non-invasive blood-based detection of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers (e.g., Aβ and phosphorylated Tau proteins). This translational shift illustrates how PEC technology can serve as a cross-cutting platform that unites energy sustainability and human health. Recent advances will be presented across two levels: (1) laboratory-scale PEC studies utilizing Zahner systems for precise mechanistic exploration, and (2) application-oriented portable PEC platforms tailored for real-world environments and clinical diagnostics.