We are pleased to announce that the project “Renewable Energy via Sustainable Hydrogen” (RESH) has received funding in the M-ERA NET Call 2024. Prof. Wojciech Macyk will lead the Polish team. In collaboration with researchers from the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana and the University of Liège, the project aims to develop a novel, sustainable, and low-emission technology for green hydrogen production.
The project focuses on photoelectrochemical water splitting, enhanced by piezo- and pyrocatalysis, as well as nickel-based co-catalysts, eliminating the need for precious metals. A key innovation is the use of heterostructures combining protective oxide layers with a silicon semiconductor, utilizing graphene-based junctions and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology for controlled atomic growth.
One of the most environmentally significant aspects of the project is the repurposing of used solar panels, integrating them with oxide heterostructures to function as active photoelectrodes.
In M-ERA NET 2024, a total of 382 pre-proposals were submitted, with 101 full proposals progressing to the next stage. Ultimately, 31 projects involving 156 research teams received funding. Four of these projects will be coordinated by Polish institutions, with three more involving Polish research groups.