Sophia Haussener
EPFL STI IGM LRESE
MED 0 2926 (Bâtiment MED)
Station 9
1015 Lausanne
+41 21 693 38 78
+41 21 693 73 13
Office:
MED 0 2926
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Web site: Web site: https://lrese.epfl.ch/
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Fields of expertise
Mission
The mission of LRESE is to develop science and technology for efficient, inexpensive, sustainable, and durable approaches for renewable energy conversion. We focus on solar energy given its exceptional potential. The methodologies I promote incorporate coupled experimental-numerical approaches applying the fundamentals of thermal sciences, fluid dynamics, electro-magnetism, and thermo/electro/photo-chemistry in complex multi-phase/multi-component media on multiple scales. The research program I have established develops both theory and the computational frameworks in order to formulate design guidelines for complex multi-physics and multi-scale processes and devices, and applies and demonstrates these designs for photoelectrochemical and solar-thermal energy conversion and storage processes, enabling applications in other domains (e.g., space, environmental).Biography
Sophia Haussener is an Associate Professor heading the Laboratory of Renewable Energy Science and Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Her current research is focused on providing design guidelines for thermal, thermochemical, and photoelectrochemical energy conversion reactors through multi-physics modeling. Her research interests include: thermal sciences, fluid dynamics, charge transfer, electro-magnetism, and thermo/electro/photochemistry in complex multi-phase media on multiple scales. She received her MSc (2007) and PhD (2010) in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich. Between 2011 and 2012, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Joint Center of Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) and the Energy Environmental Technology Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). She has published over 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. She has been awarded the ETH medal (2011), the Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation award (2011), the ABB Forschungspreis (2012), the Prix Zonta (2015), the Global Change Award (2017), and the Raymond Viskanta Award (2019), and is a recipient of a Starting Grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation (2014). She is a deputy leader in the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research (SCCER) on energy storage and acts as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Helmholtz Zentrum.Publications
Infoscience publications
2024
Contrasting Views of the Electric Double Layer in Electrochemical CO2 Reduction: Continuum Models vs Molecular Dynamics
Journal Of Physical Chemistry C. 2024-06-14. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c03469.High-throughput parallel testing of ten photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting: case study on the effects of temperature in hematite photoanodes
Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2024-05-30. DOI : 10.1039/d4se00451e.Reversible photo-electrochemical device for solar hydrogen and power generation
Cell Reports Physical Science. 2024. DOI : 10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.101984.Rate-Determining Step for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide into Carbon Monoxide at Silver Electrodes
ACS Catalysis. 2024. DOI : 10.1021/acscatal.4c00192.Stability and degradation of (oxy)nitride photocatalysts for solar water splitting
RSC Sustainability. 2024. DOI : 10.1039/D4SU00096J.In Situ Synthesis of CuxO/N Doped Graphdiyne with Pyridine N Configuration for Ammonia Production via Nitrate Reduction
Small. 2024. DOI : 10.1002/smll.202310467.Modeling, design and economics of PEC devices
Lausanne, EPFL, 2024. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10076.Radiative transfer in luminescent solar concentrators
Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 2024. DOI : 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2024.108957.Quantifying mass transport limitations in a microfluidic CO2 electrolyzer with a gas diffusion cathode
Communications Chemistry. 2024. DOI : 10.1038/s42004-024-01122-5.2023
Surface Charge Boundary Condition Often Misused in CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction Models
Journal Of Physical Chemistry C. 2023-09-08. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c05364.Kilowatt-scale solar hydrogen production system using a concentrated integrated photoelectrochemical device
Nature Energy. 2023-04-10. DOI : 10.1038/s41560-023-01247-2.Recognizing the life and scientific contributions of a pioneer in solar thermochemistry: Prof. Aldo Steinfeld
Solar Energy. 2023-02-16. DOI : 10.1016/j.solener.2023.01.050.Geodesic Convolutional Neural Network Characterization of Macro-Porous Latent Thermal Energy Storage
ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 2023-02-03. DOI : 10.1115/1.4056663.Design and operational guidelines of solar-driven catalytic conversion of CO2 and H2 to fuels
Applied Energy. 2023-01-20. DOI : 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120617.Single emulsion drops for photocatalytic water splitting as a membrane-free approach to product separation
Cell Reports Physical Science. 2023. DOI : 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101755.Morphology and Transport Characterization of Catalyst Layers for CO2 Reduction
Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 2023. DOI : 10.1149/1945-7111/acff1c.Photoelectrochemical behaviour of photoanodes under high photon fluxes
Journal of Materials Chemistry. 2023. DOI : 10.1039/D3TA05257E.A holistic investigation of photocatalytic hydrogen generation
Lausanne, EPFL, 2023. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9719.Photovoltaics at multi-terawatt scale: Waiting is not an option
Science. 2023. DOI : 10.1126/science.adf6957.Pathways to enhance electrochemical CO2 reduction identified through direct pore-level modeling
EES Catalysis. 2023. DOI : 10.1039/D3EY00122A.Multiphysics model for assessing photoelectrochemical phenomena under concentrated irradiation
Electrochimica Acta. 2023. DOI : 10.1016/j.electacta.2023.142703.Assessment of the technological viability of photoelectrochemical devices for oxygen and fuel production on Moon and Mars
Nature Communications. 2023. DOI : 10.1038/s41467-023-38676-2.2022
Solar fuel processing: Comparative mini-review on research, technology development, and scaling
Solar Energy. 2022-10-14. DOI : 10.1016/j.solener.2022.09.019.Modeling the Photostability of Solar Water-Splitting Devices and Stabilization Strategies
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 2022-09-19. DOI : 10.1021/acsami.2c08204.Multi-configuration evaluation of a megajoule-scale high-temperature latent thermal test-bed
Applied Thermal Engineering. 2022-09-01. DOI : 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.118697.Integrated solar-driven high-temperature electrolysis operating with concentrated irradiation
Joule. 2022-08-23. DOI : 10.1016/j.joule.2022.07.013.Enhanced Solar-to-Fuel Efficiency of Ceria-Based Thermochemical Cycles via Integrated Electrochemical Oxygen Pumping
Acs Energy Letters. 2022-08-12. DOI : 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c01318.Photo‐Electrochemical Conversion of CO 2 Under Concentrated Sunlight Enables Combination of High Reaction Rate and Efficiency
Advanced Energy Materials. 2022-06-19. DOI : 10.1002/aenm.202200585.Multi-Scale Study of High-Temperature Latent Heat Storage With Metallic Phase Change Materials
Lausanne, EPFL, 2022. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8444.Modulating electric field distribution by alkali cations for CO2 electroreduction in strongly acidic medium
Nature Catalysis. 2022. DOI : 10.1038/s41929-022-00761-y.Design guidelines for next-generation sodium-nickel-chloride batteries
Lausanne, EPFL, 2022. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9537.Modeling and assessment of high-temperature photo-electrochemical devices
Lausanne, EPFL, 2022. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8169.Conductive Heat Transfer in Partially Saturated Gas Diffusion Layers with Evaporative Cooling
Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 2022. DOI : 10.1149/1945-7111/ac4e5c.2021
Prospects and challenges in designing photocatalytic particle suspension reactors for solar fuel processing
Chemical Science. 2021-07-01. DOI : 10.1039/D1SC01504D.Numerical characterization and engineering of transport in morphologically complex heterogeneous media
Lausanne, EPFL, 2021. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7663.Non-uniform porous structures and cycling control for optimized fixed-bed solar thermochemical water splitting
Journal of Solar Energy Engineering. 2021. DOI : 10.1115/1.4052960.Multiphase transport and evaporative cooling in fuel cell gas diffusion layers
Lausanne, EPFL, 2021. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8558.Modeling and design guidelines of high-temperature photoelectrochemical devices
Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2021. DOI : 10.1039/D0SE01749C.Buoyancy-driven melting and solidification heat transfer analysis in encapsulated phase change materials
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 2021. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.120525.2020
Mitigating voltage losses in photoelectrochemical cell scale-up
Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2020-06-01. DOI : 10.1039/d0se00246a.Pressure Drop and Convective Heat Transfer in Different SiSiC Structures Fabricated by Indirect Additive Manufacturing
Journal Of Heat Transfer-Transactions Of The Asme. 2020-03-01. DOI : 10.1115/1.4045732.Design guidelines for Al-12%Si latent heat storage encapsulations to optimize performance and mitigate degradation
Applied Surface Science. 2020-03-01. DOI : 10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.143684.Optimizing and Implementing Light Trapping in Thin-Film, Mesostructured Photoanodes
Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces. 2020-02-05. DOI : 10.1021/acsami.9b17856.Dynamic system modeling of thermally-integrated concentrated PV-electrolysis
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 2020. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.12.151.Numerical optimization of evaporative cooling in artificial gas diffusion layers for fuel cell applications
Applied Thermal Engineering. 2020. DOI : 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.116460.Sodium plating and stripping from Na-β"-alumina ceramics beyond 1000 mA/cm2
Materials Today Energy. 2020. DOI : 10.1016/j.mtener.2020.100515.Theoretical maximum photogeneration efficiency and performance characterization of InxGa1-xN/Si tandem water-splitting photoelectrodes
APL Materials. 2020. DOI : 10.1063/5.0007034.Multi-physical characterization of cellular ceramics for high-temperature applications
Lausanne, EPFL, 2020. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9779.Practical challenges in the development of photoelectrochemical solar fuels production
Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2020. DOI : 10.1039/C9SE00869A.Effective conductivity of porous ceramics in a radiative environment
Ceramics International. 2020. DOI : 10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.09.272.2019
Majority Charge Carrier Transport in Particle-based Photoelectrodes
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2019-10-03. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b07580.Rapid Performance Optimization Method for Photoelectrodes
Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2019-08-07. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b04102.Kinetic Competition between Water-Splitting and Photocorrosion Reactions in Photoelectrochemical Devices
Chemsuschem. 2019-05-08. DOI : 10.1002/cssc.201802558.A thermally synergistic photo-electrochemical hydrogen generator operating under concentrated solar irradiation
Nature Energy. 2019-04-29. DOI : 10.1038/s41560-019-0373-7.Pcm-based heat exchanger and uses thereof
EP3794297 ; US2021222959 ; EP3794297 ; CN112424551 ; WO2019220395 . 2019.Integrated photo-electrochemical device for concentrated irradiation
US11781230 ; US2022220623 ; HUE057997 ; HRP20220391 ; EP4001469 ; ES2909621 ; PT3500694 ; DK3500694 ; US11248301 ; EP3500694 ; EP3500694 ; US2019177860 ; WO2018033886 . 2019.Design and optimization of a high-temperature latent heat storage unit
Applied Energy. 2019. DOI : 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.114330.Modeling and experimentation of conductive and radiative transfer through heterogeneous insulators in high-flux environments
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7273.Preparation of high-conductivity, high-capacity phase change media capsules with enhanced thermos-chemical stability in thermal energy storage applications
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9715.Material and mesostructural design guidelines for high performing photoelectrodes
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7408.Sequential Cascade Electrocatalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to C-C Coupled Products
Acs Applied Energy Materials. 2019. DOI : 10.1021/acsaem.9b00791.Optimizing Mesostructured Silver Catalysts for Selective Carbon Dioxide Conversion into Fuels
Energy Environmental Science. 2019. DOI : 10.1039/C9EE00656G.Linking Morphology and Multi-Physical Transport in Structured Electrodes
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9394.Controlling strategies to maximize reliability of integrated photo-electrochemical devices exposed to realistic disturbances
Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2019. DOI : 10.1039/c8se00441b.Unsteady Radiative Heat Transfer Model of a Ceria Particle Suspension Undergoing Solar Thermochemical Reduction
Journal Of Thermophysics And Heat Transfer. 2019-01-01. DOI : 10.2514/1.T5314.Inverse Analysis of Radiative Flux Maps for the Characterization of High Flux Sources
Journal of Solar Energy Engineering. 2019. DOI : 10.1115/1.4042227.2018
Integrated photo-electrochemical device for concentrated irradiation
US11781230 ; US2022220623 ; HUE057997 ; HRP20220391 ; EP4001469 ; ES2909621 ; PT3500694 ; DK3500694 ; US11248301 ; EP3500694 ; EP3500694 ; US2019177860 ; WO2018033886 . 2018.Solar production of nylon polymers and prescursors for nylon polymer production
US2020048415 ; WO2018172927 ; WO2018172927 . 2018.Continuum-scale Modeling of Solar Water-splitting Devices
Integrated Solar Fuel Generators; Royal Society of Chemistry, 2018. p. 500-536.Linking Morphology and Multi-Physical Transport in Structured Photoelectrodes
Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2018. DOI : 10.1039/C8SE00215K.Atomic layer deposition of TiO2 for stabilization of Pt nanoparticle oxygen reduction reaction catalysts
Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. 2018. DOI : 10.1007/s10800-018-1226-y.An integrated concentrated solar fuel generator utilizing a tubular solid oxide electrolysis cell as solar absorber
Journal of Power Sources. 2018. DOI : 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.08.009.Determination and optimization of material parameters of particle-based LaTiO2N photoelectrodes
Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2018. DOI : 10.1039/C8TA03649G.Pathways to Electrochemical Solar-Hydrogen Technologies
Energy & Environmental Science. 2018. DOI : 10.1039/C7EE03639F.Solar-Driven High-Temperature Electrolysis Reactor for Fuel Processing
Lausanne, EPFL, 2018. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8465.Modeling and experimental demonstration of an integrated photoelectrochemical hydrogen generator working under concentrated irradiation
Lausanne, EPFL, 2018. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8508.Chapter 9. Modelling-derived Design Guidelines for Photo-electrochemical Devices
Advances in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: Theory, Experiment and Systems Analysis; Royal Society of Chemistry, 2018. p. 239-265.Modeling and design guidelines for direct steam generation solar receivers
Applied Energy. 2018. DOI : 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.044.Optical characterization of multi-scale morphologically complex heterogeneous media – Application to snow with soot impurities
Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 2018. DOI : 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2017.11.025.Transport characteristics of saturated gas diffusion layers treated with hydrophobic coatings
Chemical Engineering Science. 2018. DOI : 10.1016/j.ces.2017.10.035.Design and demonstration of a prototype 1.5 kWth hybrid solar/autothermal steam gasifier
Fuel. 2018. DOI : 10.1016/j.fuel.2017.09.059.2017
Radiative characterization of random fibrous media with optically large long cylindrical fibers
Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2017.08.002.Techno-economic modeling and optimization of solar-driven high-temperature electrolysis systems
Solar Energy. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.solener.2017.07.077.Modelling of Solar Thermochemical Reaction Systems
Solar Energy. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.solener.2017.07.069.High-flux optical systems for solar thermochemistry
Solar Energy. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.solener.2017.07.046.Tomography-based radiative characterisation of decomposing carbonaceous heat shield materials
Carbon. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.carbon.2017.06.045.Numerical Quantification of Coupling Effects for Radiation-Conduction Heat Transfer in Participating Macroporous Media: Investigation of a Model Geometry
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2017.03.079.Reliable Performance Characterization of Mediated Photocatalytic Water-Splitting Half Reactions
ChemSusChem. 2017. DOI : 10.1002/cssc.201601901.Degradation in photoelectrochemical devices: Review with an illustrative case study
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 2017. DOI : 10.1088/1361-6463/aa5b11.2016
Charge Transport in Two-Photon Semiconducting Structures for Solar Fuels
ChemSusChem. 2016. DOI : 10.1002/cssc.201600773.Minimization of Ionic Transport Resistance in Porous Monoliths for Application in Integrated Solar Water Splitting Devices
Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2016. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b06766.Experimental and Numerical Characterization of a New 45 kWel Multisource High-Flux Solar Simulator
Optics Express. 2016. DOI : 10.1364/OE.24.0A1360.Modeling of concurrent CO2 and water splitting by practical photoelectrochemical devices
Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 2016. DOI : 10.1149/2.0661610jes.Integrated Photo-Electrochemical Solar Fuel Generators under Concentrated Irradiation- Part I: 2-D Non-Isothermal Multiphysics Modelling
Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 2016. DOI : 10.1149/2.0311610jes.Modeling, Simulation, and Implementation of Solar-Driven Water-Splitting Devices
Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2016. DOI : 10.1002/anie.201510463.Early-stage oxidation behavior at high temperatures of SiSiC cellular architectures in a porous burner
Ceramics International. 2016. DOI : 10.1016/j.ceramint.2016.07.159.Mass transport aspects of electrochemical solar-hydrogen generation
Energy Environmental Science. 2016. DOI : 10.1039/C5EE03698D.Combined Experimental-Numerical Analysis of Transient Phenomena in a Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Cell
Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2016. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b12445.Utilizing modeling, experiments, and statistics for the analysis of water-splitting photoelectrodes
Journal of Materials Chemistry. A. 2016. DOI : 10.1039/C5TA07328F.2015
Phase Change Material Systems for High Temperature Heat Storage
Chimia. 2015. DOI : 10.2533/chimia.2015.1.Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Mechanical Engineering