Design Transformative Energy Materials Interfaces for Solar Fuels

设计太阳能燃料的变革性能源材料界面

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-05903
• 负责人: Wu, Yimin
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=760454
• 关键词: Design; Transformative; Energy; Materials; Interfaces; Design; Transformative; Energy; Materials; Interfaces

The usage and depletion of fossil fuels is deeply linked with other human security problems, such as food, water, and environmental degradation. Solar energy is the largest sustainable source available, and one of the few viable options such as nuclear energy. By developing solar fuels, a bio-inspired approach, solar energy can be directly stored as chemical energy in fuels using artificial photosynthesis, which serves a dual function of energy conversion and storage. Solar fuels can play a vital role for mobile energy requirement, in all aspects from solar energy conversion, storage, transport, and distribution. This is the promising sustainable energy source for powering our future, as they can provide sustainable energy, sustainable fertilizers for food production, and mitigate global warming. However, to design energy materials for CO2 reduction and ammonia synthesis with high efficiency, selectivity, and stability is yet to be achieved. The proposed research will design highly effective, selective, and stable catalysts. The short term goal of program is to design transformative catalysts for CO2 reduction and ammonia synthesis from N2 via a deep understanding of the role of defects and interfaces in selective and effective photo/electro-catalytic processes, and using catalysts for artificial photosynthesis at lab scale. The long term goal is to achieve a system with higher efficiency than natural photosynthesis but retain high selectivity as natural photosynthesis at large scale. Solar fuels can benefit Canadian by creating clean and sustainable energy through materials innovation. This research program will have a broad impact for both academia and industry. In academia, operando multimodal characterization coupled with artificial intelligence will clarify the mechanism and discover new materials design concepts, which can advance knowledge in natural science and engineering fields and be used to develop transformative energy materials for solar fuels. In industry, the results from this program will offer solutions to the oil, automotive, steel industries for reducing CO2 gas emissions and store the electricity from nuclear power plant. The product from CO2 reduction can be used as precursors to make other chemical products in chemical industry. Liquid solar fuels can be used as the propulsion power sources for vehicles, aircrafts and in the microgravity environment of space. Ammonia synthesis under mild conditions will provide solutions to sustainable agriculture by providing sustainable fertilizer.

化石燃料的使用和耗竭与其他人类安全问题（例如食物，水和环境退化）有着联系。太阳能是可用的最大可持续能源，也是少数可行的可行选择之一，例如核能。通过开发一种由生物启发的方法开发太阳能，可以使用人工光合作用将太阳能直接存储在燃料中，这具有能量转换和存储的双重功能。太阳能燃料在太阳能转换，存储，运输和分配的各个方面都可以对移动能源需求发挥至关重要的作用。这是为我们的未来提供动力的有前途的可持续能源，因为它们可以提供可持续的能源，可持续的肥料用于粮食生产以及减轻全球变暖。但是，要以高效率，选择性和稳定性设计用于二氧化碳减少和氨合成的能源材料。拟议的研究将设计高效，选择性和稳定的催化剂。程序的短期目标是通过深入了解缺陷和界面在选择性有效的照片/电催化过程中的缺陷和界面的作用，并使用催化剂以实验室规模的人工光合作用来设计用于二氧化碳和氨合成的变革性催化剂。长期目标是实现比自然光合作用效率更高的系统，但在大规模的自然光合作用中保留了高选择性。太阳能燃料可以通过材料创新创造清洁和可持续的能源来使加拿大人受益。该研究计划将对学术界和行业产生广泛的影响。在学术界，Operando多模式表征加上人工智能，将阐明该机制并发现新材料设计概念，这些材料设计概念可以提高自然科学和工程领域的知识，并用于开发用于太阳能燃料的变革性能材料。在行业中，该计划的结果将为石油，汽车，钢铁行业提供减少二氧化碳气体排放并存储核电站的电力的解决方案。二氧化碳减少的产品可以用作在化学工业中生产其他化学产品的前体。液态太阳能燃料可以用作车辆，飞机和空间微重力环境中的推进能源。轻度条件下的氨合成将通过提供可持续肥料为可持续农业提供解决方案。