Dr. Agnieszka Paszuk
„The efficient and stable production of solar fuels is a crucial step in the energy transition. III-V semiconductors are the most efficient photoabsorbers for such applications, but are prone to corrosion. In the SINATRA:PARASOL project, I am developing robust metal oxide protective coatings to improve their stability in photoelectrochemical cells. This requires a systematic, fundamental investigation of the surface pre-treatment of III-V semiconductors as well as the metal oxide and catalyst deposition process.”
„The efficient and stable production of solar fuels is a crucial step in the energy transition. III-V semiconductors are the most efficient photoabsorbers for such applications, but are prone to corrosion. In the SINATRA:PARASOL project, I am developing robust metal oxide protective coatings to improve their stability in photoelectrochemical cells. This requires a systematic, fundamental investigation of the surface pre-treatment of III-V semiconductors as well as the metal oxide and catalyst deposition process.”
Junior Research Group Leader
Technical University of Ilmenau
Foto: Michael Reichel
Scientific career and research areas
Dr. Agnieszka Paszuk studied microsystems electronics and photonics at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology (2006-2011). She received her doctorate from the Technical University of Ilmenau in 2017 in the field of Fundamentals of Energy Materials. During her PhD, her research focused on surface science, in particular on the fabrication of III-V on IV and III-V on III-V coatings by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The surfaces of these layers were investigated by in situ optical spectroscopy to achieve a minimum defect density at critical heterointerfaces for applications in high-efficiency multi-junction photovoltaic solar cells. As a postdoc at TU Ilmenau, she focused on III-V semiconductors for applications in photoelectrochemical water splitting and CO2 reduction. Since 2024, she is heading a BMBF junior research group on artificial photosynthesis.
Her research focuses on the chemical and electronic structure of solid-solid and solid-liquid interfaces for (photo)electrochemical energy conversion. She combines optical in situ spectroscopy with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and investigates III-V heterointerfaces with and without catalysts and protective layers. With her research group, she develops metal oxide passivation protection layers using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and integrates them with III-V photoabsorbers and catalysts to produce stable and efficient photoelectrochemical cells.
A complete list of Agnieska Paszuk’s publications can be found on ORCID or ResearchGate:
Major awards, achievements and scholarships
The working group headed by Agnieszka Paszuk
