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SolarSpec: Solar Energy Conversion and Spectroscopy Group
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  • Chemical Communication Cover article!

    The group’s first independent article is a hit! It’s also part of their invited Emerging Invesitagors issue and is featured as the Chem Comm journal cover! See DOI: 10.1039/D0CC06841A to read our review of charge carrier dynamics in carbon nitride heterojunctions.

  • Carbon nitride/graphene oxide junctions helps electron extraction

    Robert’s work in collaboration with the Reisner group has been published in ACS Catalysis (https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.8b01969). Graphene oxide didn’t change the photophysics of the carbon nitride, but did help extract electrons and enhance H2 photoproduction by three fold!

  • Visible-light water splitting driven by high accumulation of photogenerated holes

    Robert’s work in collaboration with Profs. Domen and Hisatomi from U. of Tokyo on GaN:ZnO solid solution has been published in Chemical Science (https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C8SC02348D)!

  • Study of charge carrier dynamics in carbon nitride reveals key role of charge trapping

    Robert’s seminal work has been published in JACS (https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jacs.7b01547), and is a Highly Cited Paper from Web of Science, putting it in the top 1% of papers in chemistry for citations!

Welcome to the Solar Energy Conversion and Spectroscopy Group (SolarSpec)

We are located at The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus in beautiful Kelowna, BC, Canada.

Check out this video for an overview of our recent ChemComm review article (and journal cover):

The group aims to make impactful contributions to worldwide efforts in developing affordable clean energy. Our main focus is understanding the photophysical and photochemical processes that dictate efficiency in solar fuel producing systems. Our advanced time-resolved optical spectroscopy techniques give us the insights necessary to understand the influence of key physical and chemical parameters, and optimize material synthesis with strong rational. Taking inspiration from natural photosynthesis, we develop low-cost semiconductors (e.g. carbon nitrides) to produce the hydrogen as a chemical fuel from water and sunlight. This artificial photosynthetic process – photocatalytic water splitting – offers a way to harness solar energy in chemical bonds, making storage and handling simpler than for traditional photovoltaic solar cells. Our fundamental and applied studies also lead us to explore new methods for the sequestration and valorization of CO2.

 

Go deeper!

What to learn more about what we do? Check out the Research page, or view our Publications. You can also check out this video of Robert talking about starting out his science career.

 

Get in touch!

Interested in joining the team? Take a look at the available Opportunities. Interested in collaborating or curious about something, go ahead and Contact Us.

 

Group logo for the Solar Energy Conversion and Spectroscopy (SolarSpec) laboratory, headed by Robert Godin at UBC Okanagan.

RSS News

  • 2 work-study positions are available for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year (Sept 1 – April 30) August 14, 2020
  • Welcome to the summer cohort – Abigail, Kshitij and Destiny! May 13, 2020
  • 2 work-study positions are available for the summer February 29, 2020
  • Congratulations to Abigail and Destiny! February 29, 2020
  • Congrats Grady! February 20, 2020
  • UBC Okanagan Work Study position available August 7, 2019
  • CFI and BCKDF funding approved!! July 15, 2019
  • Welcome to Natalie, Grady and Ahmed! May 10, 2019
  • Welcome Cristian! May 2, 2019
  • Funding news! April 30, 2019

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Department of Chemistry
Okanagan Campus
3247 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Website www.chem.ok.ubc.ca
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