The University of Texas System

Yi Shen

Krishnan Rajeshwar

Fuqiang Liu

Zi Wei

Dong Liu

In one aspect, solar energy systems are described herein. In some embodiments, such a comprises an electrochemical cell comprising a photoelectrode, a counter electrode, and an ion transport membrane disposed between the photoelectrode and counter electrode. The cell further comprises a first electrolyte solution disposed in fluid communication with the photoelectrode and the membrane, and a second electrolyte solution disposed in fluid communication with the membrane and the counter electrode. The first and/or second electrolyte solution comprises a solvated redox pair. Additionally, the cell also comprises a storage electrode, a first external electrical connection between the photoelectrode and the counter electrode, and a second external electrical connection between the counter electrode and the storage electrode. Components of the system define a liquid junction photovoltaic cell under light conditions and a galvanic cell under dark conditions.

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Arlington, TX, United States of America

Yi Shen