ANSER - About Us

Mission: Technologies for Solar Fuels & Electricity

The mission of the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center is to revolutionize our understanding of molecules, materials and methods necessary to create dramatically more efficient technologies for solar fuels and electricity production. ANSER will realize this vision by understanding and characterizing the basic phenomena of solar energy conversion dynamics, by designing and synthesizing new nanoscale and mesoscale architectures with extraordinary functionality, and by linking basic solar energy conversion phenomena across time and space to create emergent energy conversion systems operating with exceptional performance. Concurrently, the ANSER Center remains committed to creating and mentoring a technically excellent workforce capable of solving energy-related problems far into the future.

Objective: Fundamental Understanding

• Question 1: How can multi-scale predictive theory and computational modeling lead to the design and discovery of novel organic, inorganic, and hybrid systems?

• Question 2: How do molecular and materials structure and order determine the efficiency of light capture, charge separation, and long-range charge transport?

• Question 3: What are the fundamental multi-scale temporal and spatial requirements for efficient charge transport across interfaces to deliver multiple redox equivalents to catalysts and electrodes?

• Question 4: How can molecular and materials properties be tailored to exploit hierarchical assembly for solar fuels and electricity systems scalable for the nanoscale to the mesoscale?

• Properties of unique materials, from self-assembling, bio-inspired materials for hydrogen fuel production from water to transparent conductors, and nanostructured hard and soft materials for solar electricity generation