W. Alan Doolittle has received a FY 2010 Creating Energy Option Award from the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute and the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.

The Creating Energy Options (CEO) Program at Georgia Tech funds seed grants for one year and are intended to stimulate innovative research endeavors that have the potential to create near-term solutions for energy-related concerns. An associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. Doolittle received this award for his proposal to create a "Novel Oxide Photo-electrolytic Hydrogen Generator."

Dr. Doolittle's project proposes to use a Georgia Tech-developed oxide semiconductor to make photo-electrolytic hydrogen generator cells. This novel material possesses superb semiconducting properties, including record high p-type conductivity and optimal solar matched energy relationships never before observed in this class of materials. These properties may eliminate the durability and efficiency impediments to widespread adoption of solar hydrogen generation. If this simple process is successful, the distribution of hydrogen could be revolutionized by facilitating hydrogen “on-the-spot” production wherever a water and sunlight source can be found.