A big thanks to the PARASOL team at Technische Universität Ilmenau for hosting a highly productive project meeting last week (Oct 22-24, 2025)! Our working group had an excellent time exchanging ideas and strengthening the collaboration within the wider SINATRA Research Initiative network.

The PARASOL team is focused on critical work: converting solar energy into green solar fuels, like hydrogen, by developing stable and efficient metal oxide protective layers for photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. This is essential for solving the material stability challenge to create long-lasting, high-performance solar fuel devices.

Quick highlights from our visit:
• Project Update: Lars Mohrhusen presented an overview of our recent progress and contributions to the project goals.
• New Results: Justin Klimek gave a presentation on the results from his recently submitted publication, leading to some useful discussion in the following days.
• Facilities Tour: We got a fascinating tour of the cleanroom labs at the ZMN @ TU Ilmenau, guided by Maria Illing. Seeing the unique facilities at TU Ilmenau gave us a valuable perspective on the capabilities of our project partner.

Our own research in the Su2nCat-CO2 project, which focuses on the solar-driven conversion of CO₂ using non-noble metal catalysts, is a crucial part of the SINATRA network's overall goal. Connecting with the various SINATRA members and discussing how our specific work on sustainable CO₂ utilization fits into the larger efforts is essential for the success of this BMFTR initiative. 
It was a successful trip, and we're happy to be next in line to host the SINATRA networking event at Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in 2026.