Photoelectrochemical devices, methods, and systems with a cupric oxide/cuprous oxide coated electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326263-B2
Application number	US-201916353183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2019
Priority date	Jan 17, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to nanocomposites of CuO/Cu2O and continuous flow solar reactors. The nanocomposites can be utilized as a photocatalyst and can be incorporated into photoelectrochemical devices. The described devices, systems, and methods can be used for converting CO2 into one or more alcohols and other small organics with the use of solar energy and electricity. Other embodiments are described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A photocatalyst comprising:
a conducting substrate; and
a photoactive layer comprising a plurality of nanostructures,
wherein the nanostructure comprises an elongated copper (II) oxide (CuO) core having a lateral surface and a top surface and a plurality of copper (I) oxide (Cu 2 O) particles deposited on at least a portion of the lateral surface, and
wherein a majority of the nanostructures project from the conducting substrate.

2. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , wherein the CuO core was formed using a sol-gel technique and then heating.

3. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where the conducting substrate is copper.

4. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where the elongated CuO core is a nanorod or nanoribbon.

5. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where the CuO core comprises a width dimension of between 40 nm and 200 nm.

6. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where the CuO core comprises a length between 0.5 and 15 μm.

7. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where the Cu 2 O particles form a discontinuous coating on the lateral surface of the elongated CuO core.

8. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where the Cu 2 O particles form a continuous coating on at least a portion of the lateral surface of the elongated CuO core.

9. The photocatalyst of claim 7 , where the coating has a thickness of between 30 nm and 100 nm.

10. The photocatalyst of claim 1 , where at least a portion of the top surface does not have Cu 2 O particles deposited thereon.

11. The photocatalyst of claim 10 , where the Cu 2 O particles are crystallites.

12. A method of converting carbon dioxide to one or more alcohols comprising:
dissolving CO 2 into a first electrolyte solution;
pumping the first electrolyte solution with dissolved CO 2 into a cathode chamber, where the cathode chamber comprises a photocathode having the photocatalyst of claim 1 ;
pumping a second electrolyte solution into an anode chamber, where the cathode chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a proton conducting membrane and the anode chamber comprises an anode that is electrically connected to the photocathode; and
irradiating the first electrolyte solution under conditions suitable to convert the CO 2 to one or more alcohols.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising pumping the first electrolyte solution into an alcohol isolation unit and substantially isolating the alcohol from the electrolyte solution.

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Dennis Brian
• Rajeshwar Krishnan
• Tacconi Norma
• Chanmanee Wilaiwan
• Homayoni Homayon
• Ghadimkhani Ghazaleh

Classifications

• B01D71/022

  Metals · CPC title

• B01D69/12

  Composite membranes; Ultra-thin membranes · CPC title

• B01D2325/42

  Ion-exchange membranes · CPC title

• C25B11/057

  consisting of a single element or compound · CPC title

• B01D71/36

  Polytetrafluoroethylene · CPC title