Photocatalyst electrode and artificial photosynthesis module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10258971-B2
Application number	US-201816005038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A photocatalyst electrode decomposes water with light to generate gas. The photocatalyst electrode has a laminate including a substrate, a conductive layer provided on a surface of the substrate, and a photocatalyst layer provided on a surface of the conductive layer, and a first co-catalyst electrically connected to the photocatalyst layer. The light is incident from the surface side of the photocatalyst layer of the laminate, and in a case where a region where the light is incident on the surface of the photocatalyst layer and above the surface is defined as a first region and the region other than the first region is defined as a second region, the first co-catalyst is provided at least in the second region. The first co-catalyst and the photocatalyst layer are electrically connected to each other by at least one of a transparent conductive layer provided on the surface of the photocatalyst layer or a wiring line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photocatalyst electrode that decomposes water with light to generate gas, the photocatalyst electrode comprising:
a laminate including a substrate, a conductive layer provided on a surface of the substrate, and a photocatalyst layer provided on a surface of the conductive layer; and
a first co-catalyst electrically connected to the photocatalyst layer,
wherein the light is incident from the surface side of the photocatalyst layer of the laminate, and where a region where the light is incident on the surface of the photocatalyst layer and above the surface is defined as a first region and the region other than the first region is defined as a second region, the first co-catalyst is provided at least in the second region, and
wherein the first co-catalyst and the photocatalyst layer are electrically connected to each other by at least one of a transparent conductive layer provided on the surface of the photocatalyst layer or a wiring line.

2. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second region is a region provided on a surface of the substrate opposite to the conductive layer and facing the surface of the substrate opposite to the conductive layer.

3. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein an installation area where the first co-catalyst is provided is more than 1 time and 10 times or less with respect to an installation area where the photocatalyst layer is provided.

4. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 2 ,
wherein an installation area where the first co-catalyst is provided is more than 1 time and 10 times or less with respect to an installation area where the photocatalyst layer is provided.

5. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the first co-catalyst is formed of at least one co-catalyst film, a co-catalyst mesh material, a plurality of co-catalyst particles, or the plurality of co-catalyst particles carried and supported on a base material.

6. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 2 , wherein the first co-catalyst is formed of at least one co-catalyst film, a co-catalyst mesh material, a plurality of co-catalyst particles, or the plurality of co-catalyst particles carried and supported on a base material.

7. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 3 , wherein the first co-catalyst is formed of at least one co-catalyst film, a co-catalyst mesh material, a plurality of co-catalyst particles, or the plurality of co-catalyst particles carried and supported on a base material.

8. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 5 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst has a plurality of the co-catalyst films that are electrically connected to each other.

9. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst has a plurality of the co-catalyst films that are electrically connected to each other.

10. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 5 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst is the co-catalyst mesh material that is folded.

11. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst is the co-catalyst mesh material that is folded.

12. The photocatalyst electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gas is hydrogen gas.

13. An artificial photosynthesis module comprising:
a container provided with a photocatalyst electrode,
the photocatalyst electrode that decomposes water with light to generate gas, the photocatalyst electrode comprising:
a laminate including a substrate, a conductive layer provided on a surface of the substrate, and a photocatalyst layer provided on a surface of the conductive layer; and
a first co-catalyst electrically connected to the photocatalyst layer,
wherein the light is incident from the surface side of the photocatalyst layer of the laminate, and where a region where the light is incident on the surface of the photocatalyst layer and above the surface is defined as a first region and the region other than the first region is defined as a second region, the first co-catalyst is provided at least in the second region, and
wherein the first co-catalyst and the photocatalyst layer are electrically connected to each other by at least one of a transparent conductive layer provided on the surface of the photocatalyst layer or a wiring line.

14. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 13 ,
wherein the second region is a region provided on a surface of the substrate opposite to the conductive layer and facing the surface of the substrate opposite to the conductive layer.

15. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 13 ,
wherein an installation area where the first co-catalyst is provided is more than 1 time and 10 times or less with respect to an installation area where the photocatalyst layer is provided.

16. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 14 ,
wherein an installation area where the first co-catalyst is provided is more than 1 time and 10 times or less with respect to an installation area where the photocatalyst layer is provided.

17. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 13 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst is formed of at least one co-catalyst film, a co-catalyst mesh material, a plurality of co catalyst particles, or the plurality of co-catalyst particles carried and supported on a base material.

18. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 17 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst has a plurality of the co-catalyst films that are electrically connected to each other.

19. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 17 ,
wherein the first co-catalyst is the co-catalyst mesh material that is folded.

20. The artificial photosynthesis module according to claim 13 ,
wherein the gas is hydrogen gas.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp
• Japan Tech Research Association Of Artificial Photosynthetic Chemical Process

Inventors

• Kobayashi Hiroyuki

Classifications

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title

• C25B9/16

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B9/00

  Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features · CPC title

• Y02E60/366

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B01J35/02

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic