Maximizing efficiency in solar water splitting by engineering interfaces in hybrid photo-catalysts

通过混合光催化剂中的工程界面最大限度地提高太阳能水分解效率

基本信息

批准号：
1803991
负责人：
Suljo Linic
金额：
$ 33万
依托单位：
Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2018-09-01 至 2022-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1803991&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Maximizing efficiency solar water splitting

项目摘要

Photocatalytic splitting of water using sunlight to create abundant and inexpensive hydrogen fuel is an important technical challenge for scientists and engineers. This technology has impact for the production of "solar fuels" that uses the resource of solar energy to convert water or carbon dioxide into higher valued chemicals and fuels with a lower environmental impact. It is becoming increasingly recognized that high efficiency solar water splitting processes will require multi-component, multi-functional photo-catalytic systems. These photocatalysts contain a semiconductor light absorber, a material that stabilizes the light absorber under the reactions conditions (insulators are often used for this function) and attached metal electrocatalysts that perform chemical transformations. In this project, fundamental understanding will result on how different components of these multi-functional photo-catalysts impact the performance of these systems. Ultimately, the knowledge will be used to form the foundation for developing predictive structure-performance relationships that would guide the design of the multi-component photocatalysts for efficient solar water splitting. The project also emphasizes a wide array of educational activities that build upon the Principal Investigator's (PI) research to promote engagement of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The project will result in new curriculum content for a massive open online course (MOOC) emphasizing sustainable energy topics. These activities include outreach to high school and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups, as well as strategies aimed at improving the utilization of the World Wide Web in reaching students and the general public. This project will focus on fundamental understanding about the influence of insulating protective layers on the overall performance of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photocatalyst system for solar water splitting. The aim of the project is to identify the fundamental characteristics of the protective layers that impact the performance and tune these characteristics to design MIS photocatalyst with minimal junction losses. The project has two central objectives: 1) Developing a physically transparent model that will capture the essential features of the MIS photocatalyst systems, 2) Guided by the model, design MIS photocatalysts with optimal geometric characteristics. The PI will focus on some of the most promising semiconductors (Si, GaAs, and Cu2O) and their coupling to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts (Ni, Ru, and Ir) through the insulating layers (HfO2 and Al2O3). The project will use characterization techniques that include atomistic characterization of the geometric structure of the MIS photocatalysts, analysis of electronic and optical properties of the multicomponent systems as well as rigorous measurements to assess the device-level performance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

对于科学家和工程师来说，使用阳光来创建水的光催化分裂是产生丰富且廉价的氢燃料的重要技术挑战。该技术对使用太阳能资源的“太阳能燃料”的生产产生了影响，该资源将水或二氧化碳转换为具有较低环境影响的较高价值化学物质和燃料。越来越多地认识到，高效率太阳能分解过程将需要多功能的多功能光催化系统。这些光催化剂含有半导体光吸收器，这种材料可在反应条件下稳定光吸收器（通常用于此功能）和连接的金属电催化剂，以执行化学转化。在这个项目中，基本的理解将导致这些多功能照片催化剂的不同组成部分如何影响这些系统的性能。最终，知识将用于建立预测性结构 - 性能关系的基础，该关系将指导多组分光催化剂的设计以进行有效的太阳能水分。该项目还强调了各种各样的教育活动，这些活动基于主要研究者（PI）的研究，以促进学生参与科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学科。该项目将为大规模开放在线课程（MOOC）提供新的课程内容，强调可持续的能源主题。这些活动包括向高中宣传和来自代表性不足的团体的本科生，以及旨在改善全球网络利用方面的策略，以吸引学生和公众。该项目将着重于对绝缘保护层对金属 - 绝缘子 - 轴导剂（MIS）光催化剂系统整体性能的影响的基本理解。该项目的目的是确定影响性能的保护层的基本特征，并调整这些特征，以最小的连接损失设计MIS光催化剂。该项目具有两个中心目标：1）开发一个物理透明的模型，该模型将捕获MIS光催化剂系统的基本特征，2）在模型的指导下，设计具有最佳几何特征的MIS光催化剂。 PI将通过绝缘层（HFO2和AL2O3），将重点放在一些最有前途的半导体（SI，GAAS和CU2O）及其与氧气进化反应（OER）电催化剂（Ni，Ru和ir）的偶联上。该项目将使用特征技术，包括对MIS光催化剂的几何结构的原子表征，对多组分系统的电子和光学性质的分析以及进行严格的测量来评估设备级的性能。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过评估智能MERITARIAL和BRODITARIAL和BRODITARIAL和BRODITAIL和BRODITARIAL和BRODITAIL and BRODITAIL和BRODITAIL cRACRIAS和BRODITAILATIAL和BRODITAILATIAL和BRODITAIL cRACRIAS。