Nanowire mesh solar fuels generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9347141-B2
Application number	US-201213658707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2012
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to a nanowire mesh solar fuels generator. In one aspect, a nanowire mesh solar fuels generator includes (1) a photoanode configured to perform water oxidation and (2) a photocathode configured to perform water reduction. The photocathode is in electrical contact with the photoanode. The photoanode may include a high surface area network of photoanode nanowires. The photocathode may include a high surface area network of photocathode nanowires. In some embodiments, the nanowire mesh solar fuels generator may include an ion conductive polymer infiltrating the photoanode and the photocathode in the region where the photocathode is in electrical contact with the photoanode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a photoanode configured to perform water oxidation, the photoanode including a high surface area network of photoanode nanowires; and
a photocathode configured to perform water reduction or carbon dioxide reduction, the photocathode being disposed on a surface of and being in electrical contact with the photoanode, the photocathode including a high surface area network of photocathode nanowires;
wherein (a) the photoanode nanowires are oriented in random directions with respect to the lateral dimension of the photoanode, or (b) the photocathode nanowires are oriented in random directions with respect to the lateral dimension of the photocathode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an ion conductive polymer infiltrating the photoanode and the photocathode proximate a region where the photocathode is disposed on the surface of the photoanode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photoanode nanowires include a photoanode material selected from the group consisting of WO 3 , TiO 2 , SrTiO 3 , NaTaO 3 , oxynitrides, TaON, GaZnON, Fe 2 O 3 , and BiVO 4 .

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of each of the photoanode nanowires is about 10 nm to 500 nm.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein an aspect ratio of each of the photoanode nanowires is about 10 to 1000.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an orientation of the photoanode nanowires is selected from the group consisting of the photoanode nanowires being oriented substantially vertically with respect to a lateral dimension of the photoanode, the photoanode nanowires being oriented substantially horizontally with respect to the lateral dimension of the photoanode, and the photoanode nanowires being oriented in random directions with respect to the lateral dimension of the photoanode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the photoanode is less than the optical absorption length of the photoanode material.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photocathode nanowires include a photocathode material selected from the group consisting of GaP, Si, InGaP, InP, Cu 2 O, and Rh—SrTiO 3 .

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a diameter each of the photocathode nanowires is about 10 nm to 500 nm.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein an aspect ratio of each of the photocathode nanowires is about 10 to 1000.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an orientation of the photocathode nanowires is selected from the group consisting of the photocathode nanowires being oriented substantially vertically with respect to a lateral dimension of the photocathode, the photocathode nanowires being oriented substantially horizontally with respect to the lateral dimension of the photocathode, and the photocathode nanowires are oriented in random directions with respect to the lateral dimension of the photocathode.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the photocathode is less than the optical absorption length of the photocathode material.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photoanode includes photoanode co-catalyst particles deposited on the photoanode nanowires.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photocathode includes photocathode co-catalyst particles deposited on the photocathode nanowires.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a photocathode co-catalyst particle comprises Pt, Mo 3 S 4 , MoS 2 , a water reduction catalyst, a CO 2 reduction catalyst, MoS 3 , or Cu.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the photocathode co-catalyst particle comprises Pt or Cu.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photoanode co-catalyst particle comprises Pt, cobalt oxide, manganese oxide, RuO x , IrO x , or a water oxidation catalyst.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the photoanode co-catalyst particle comprises Pt, RuO x , or IrO x .

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Yang Peidong
• Chan Candace
• Sun Jianwei
• Liu Bin

Classifications

• H10F71/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title

• C25B1/003

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B3/04

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• H01L31/18

  Electricity · 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