Manufacturing of Hydrocarbon Fuels from Sunlight, Carbon Dioxide and Water with Metal Nanostructures: Mechanistic Investigations to Improve Performance

利用阳光、二氧化碳和水利用金属纳米结构制造碳氢化合物燃料：提高性能的机理研究

• 批准号: 1161475
• 负责人: Mengyan Shen
• 金额: $ 41.65万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Lowell
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-08-01 至 2017-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1161475&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Manufacturing; Hydrocarbon; Fuels; Sunlight; Carbon

The objective of this award is to study the fundamental mechanisms of a recently discovered, highly efficient artificial photosynthesis process utilizing cobalt or iron nanostructures to directly convert carbon dioxide and water into hydrocarbon fuels with solar energy in a simple reaction chamber. The project will address fundamental questions encountered in preliminary research: What is the mechanism of photosynthesis on nanostructured metal surfaces? How does the morphology of the femtosecond laser nano/micro-machined surface and the presence of a three-phase (gas/liquid/solid) interface affect the photosynthesis rate? Answers to these questions will be obtained by studying key aspects of the artificial photosynthesis process such as (a) the surface plasmon optical absorption for light harvesting; (b) the rates of photodissociation and hydrocarbon synthesis; and (c) the lifetime/durability of the metal nanostructures for long-term use. Based on the knowledge acquired through this research, a cost-effective photosynthesis manufacturing process on a large scale can be found to meet global energy needs.Results from the proposed research will enable scientists to overcome key existing barriers to large-scale applications of the artificial photosynthesis technology. Efficient artificial photosynthesis would reduce the global energy problem, decrease the dependence of the United States on foreign imports and fossil fuels, and address environmental concerns such as the high carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. Information on the properties of the metal nanostructures will also be of value to other fields where nanostructures and photo-physics/chemistry/biology are widely used, such as medicine, environment, chemical production, military, and security. The proposed method is also potentially applicable to fertilizer production with sunlight to greatly impact agriculture. The proposed work will contribute to nurturing multidisciplinary scientists and engineers through research-based education.

该奖项的目的是研究最近发现的高效人工光合作用过程的基本机制，利用钴或铁纳米结构在简单的反应室中利用太阳能直接将二氧化碳和水转化为碳氢化合物燃料。该项目将解决初步研究中遇到的基本问题：纳米结构金属表面光合作用的机制是什么？飞秒激光纳米/微加工表面的形态和三相（气/液/固）界面的存在如何影响光合作用速率？这些问题的答案将通过研究人工光合作用过程的关键方面来获得，例如（a）用于光捕获的表面等离子体光学吸收； (b) 光解和碳氢化合物合成的速率； (c)金属纳米结构长期使用的寿命/耐久性。基于通过这项研究获得的知识，可以找到一种具有成本效益的大规模光合作用制造工艺，以满足全球能源需求。拟议研究的结果将使科学家能够克服大规模应用人工光合作用的关键现有障碍光合作用技术。高效的人工光合作用将减少全球能源问题，减少美国对外国进口和化石燃料的依赖，并解决大气中二氧化碳浓度高等环境问题。有关金属纳米结构特性的信息对于纳米结构和光物理/化学/生物学广泛应用的其他领域也有价值，例如医学、环境、化学生产、军事和安全。所提出的方法也可能适用于利用阳光生产肥料，从而对农业产生巨大影响。拟议的工作将有助于通过研究型教育培养多学科科学家和工程师。