The depletion of the traditional energy sources and the continued rise in global energy demand serve as the primary impetuses for the research on new resources. The growing awareness of society regarding the drastic man-made environmental changes is the driving force behind the development and implementation of a wide range of green energy technologies. Among different possible green energy sources, solar energy holds a major position as it is most abundant and freely available. The particular attention placed on the use of solar energy as well as the tremendous breakthroughs in the fabrication and applications of nanostructures sparked an interest in photoelectrode materials that can be used e.g. in solar-driven electrochemical water splitting or in photovoltaic cells. However, in order to fully exploit such materials, some challenges must be overcome.

Photoelectrodes that can be utilized for such applications should exhibit broad absorption ranges that overlap the solar spectrum, low rates of photogenerated charge recombination, and photo corrosion resistance. Since sunlight is considered as the energy source, the possibility of manipulating the passage of light through material is crucial. Enhancing the light absorption in such materials is important for improving performance and lowering costs. Nonetheless, one of the most significant obstacles that should be addressed is the fundamental trade-off between light absorption and the collection of photogenerated electrons and holes. Therefore a new approach called photon management, that can be described as the engineering of materials to achieve new levels of control over photon propagation, has been developed. This Research Topic aims to explore the different approaches to photon management, for example, the usage of antireflection coatings or surface texturing e.g. by laser irradiation or nanomaterials that have periodic nanoscale modulation that can exhibit the behavior of photonic crystals.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Fabrication methods of nanomaterials exhibiting superior optical properties
• Modifications of nanomaterials for photon management
• Nanomaterials exhibiting photonic crystal nature that can be utilized in light-driven electrochemical processes
• Nanomaterials exhibiting plasmonic effect exhibiting superior electrochemical/photoelectrochemical properties
• Light-matter interaction, especially in terms of photo-electrochemistry
• Modelling of the optical behavior of nanostructures that can be used in photon management approach

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Advanced Optical Technologies

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