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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016348256-A1
Application number	US-201515111621-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 17, 2015
Priority date	Jan 17, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to nanocomposites of CuO/Cu 2 O 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 CO 2 into one or more alcohols and other small organics with the use of solar energy and electricity. Other embodiments are described.

First claim

1 . A photocatalyst comprising
a conducting substrate and a photoactive layer comprising a plurality of nanstructures, where the nanostructure comprises an elongated CuO core having a lateral surface and a top surface and a plurality of Cu 2 O particles deposited on at least a portion of the lateral surface and where 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 or 8 , 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 photoelectrochemical device comprising:
a cathode chamber comprising
a substantially transparent cover,
a first inlet,
a first outlet,
a photocathode comprising the photocatalyst of any one of claims 1 to 11 , and
a first channel partially defined by the transparent cover and partially defined by the photocathode and in fluid communication with the first inlet and the first outlet;
an anode chamber comprising
a conducting member,
a second inlet,
a second channel, and
a second outlet; and
a proton conducting membrane separating and partially defining a section of the first channel and a section of the second channel.

13 . The device of claim 12 , where the substantially transparent cover and the photocathode form two opposing surfaces.

14 . The device of claim 13 , where the photocathode comprises a first surface, a second surface, and at least one aperture at or near an end opposite from the first inlet, and the first channel is at least partially defined by both the first surface and the second surface.

15 . The device of claim 14 , where a first section of the first channel is partially defined by two opposing surfaces of the substantially transparent cover and the first surface of the photocathode and a second section of the first channel is partially defined by two opposing surfaces of the proton conducting membrane and the second surface of the photocathode.

16 . The device of claim 12 , where the first inlet is configured for gaseous CO 2 inflow and the first outlet is configured for gaseous outflow comprising one or more alcohols, and the photocathode is porous and extends alongside the proton conducting membrane.

17 . The device of claim 16 , where the first channel is partially defined by a first surface opposing a second surface, the substantially transparent cover comprises the first surface and the photocathode, and the proton conducting membrane comprise the second surface.

18 . The device of claim 16 , where the photocathode is in contact with the proton conducting membrane.

19 . The device of claim 12 , where the first inlet is configured for a first electrolyte solution inflow comprising CO 2 and the first outlet is configured for a first electrolyte solution outflow comprising one or more alcohols, and the photocathode is porous and extends alongside the proton conducting membrane.

20 . The device of any one of claims 12 to 19 , where the second channel is partially defined by two opposing surfaces of the conducting member and the proton conducting membrane.

21 . The device of claim 12 , where the CuO core is exposed to the first channel at a tip of a majority of nanorods of the nanorod array.

22 . The device of claim 12 , where the width of the first channel is between 30 μm and 100 μm.

23 . The device of claim 12 , where the width of the second channel is less than 100 μm.

24 . The device of claim 12 , where a spacer body defining an opening is disposed between the substantially transparent cover and the photocathode.

25 . The device of claim 12 , where the conducting substrate is copper.

26 . The device of claim 12 , where the conducting substrate is supported by a base plate.

27 . The device of claim 12 , where the substantially transparent cover is a thin sheet.

28 . The device of claim 12 , where the substantially transparent cover is less than 5 mm.

29 . The device of claim 12 , where the substantially transparent cover comprises quartz, glass, or a plastic material.

30 . The device of claim 12 , where the proton conducting membrane comprises an ionomer.

31 . The device of claim 30 , where the proton conducting membrane comprises a persulfonic acid/polytetrafluoroethylene copolymer.

32 . 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 CO2 into a cathode chamber, where the cathode chamber comprises a photocathode having the photocatalyst of any one of claims 1 to 11 and the photocathode is irradiated with light; and 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.

33 . The method of claim 32 , further comprising pumping the first electrolyte solution into an alcohol isolation unit and substantially isolating the alcohol from the electrolyte solution.

34 . The method of claim 33 , where the alcohol isolation unit comprises a fractional distillation column.

35 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising pumping the first electrolyte solution from the alcohol isolation unit to the CO 2 transfer unit.

36 . The method of claim 32 , where dissolving CO 2 into the first electrolyte solution comprises the first electrolyte solution flowing through a gas transfer unit, and CO 2 is transferred through a hydrophobic membrane.

37 . The method of claim 36 , where the gas transfer unit comprises a first channel, through which the first electrolyte solution flows, and a second channel, through which CO 2 flow, separated by the hydrophobic membrane.

38 . The method of claim 32 , where the hydrophobic membrane has a water contact angle greater than 100° and a thickness less than 15 μm.

39 . The method of claim 36 , where the hydrophobic membrane comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.

40 . The method of claim 32 , where a section of the first channel extends through the cathode chamber and is partially defined by

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

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

Classifications

• C25B11/0405

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B3/04 Primary

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• H01G9/2004

  characterised by the electrolyte, e.g. comprising an organic electrolyte · CPC title

• C25B11/0478

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B11/0415

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic