Objective
IN THE PHOTOCHEMICAL CONVERSION OF SOLAR ENERGY, THE LIGHT-INDUCED GENERATION OF HYDROGEN FROM WATER AS WELL AS THE PHOTOCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE TO CARBON-BASED LIQUID FUELS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL INTEREST ARE OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A BOTTLENECK FOR EACH OF THE TWO STARTING COMPOUNDS.
IT IS THE AIM OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH TO DEVELOP AN ACTIVE, HIGHLY SELECTIVE PHOTOELECTRODE MATERIAL FOR THE REDUCTION OF CO2 TO ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND TO LOOK FOR ANALOGIES BETWEEN THIS ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
FOR H2O CLEVAGE INTO H2 AND O2 THE BOTTLENECK IN THE AREA OF EFFICIENT PHOTOELECTRODES IS ANODE STABILITY. RECENTLY, SOME GROUPS HAVE DESCRIBED STABILIZATION OF SILICON BY APPLYING THIN INSULATING LAYERS. THIS IS A PROMISING TECHNIQUE AND IT IS PROPOSED TO EXTEND PUBLISHED WORK BY A RESEARCH FOR OTHER INSULATING LAYERS WITH TUNNELING PROPERTIES.
TWO LINES OF IMPORTANT RESEARCH FOR THE TITLE SUBJECT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. FOR THE PEC REDUCTION OF CO2, WE PROPOSE TO STUDY MONO-AND BINUCLEAR TETRA-AZAMACROCYCLIC TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES OF CO AND NI AS MEDIATORS AT P-TYPE SEMICONDUCTORS AS PHOTOCATHODES. IN THE PEC SPLITTING OF WATER, THE USE OF SILICON AS PHOTOANODE IS HAMPERED BY THE CORROSIVE NATURE OF THE OXIDATION PROCESS. WE PROPOSE HERE TO STUDY THE STABILIZING EFFECT OF THIN FILMS ON MONO- OR POLYCRYSTALLINE SI AND ON AMORPHOUS SI ELECTRODES. MATERIALS PRESENTLY UNDER STUDY INCLUDE SI3N4, BP.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsliquid fuels
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energy
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistry
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
2628 XE DELFT
Netherlands