Solar energy conversion.
Solar energy conversion.
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DOI：
10.1039/b921891m
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发表时间：
2009-12
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
V. Sundström
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
V. Sundström
世界范围内能源消耗的迅速增加，加上当今能源生产对气候和环境造成的后果，要求在我们的能源结构中大幅增加可再生能源。太阳能是丰富的，但到目前为止只占我们使用的能源的很小一部分。如果我们能找到将太阳能转化为我们知道如何处理和使用的能源形式的方法，那么“能源问题”的很大一部分就解决了。我们开发的方法和材料必须满足许多要求：导致以具有竞争力的价格从燃料中发电的设备；使用环保材料和工艺；只使用丰富的元素；采用适合大规模生产的工艺和材料；所用的材料和装置应具有较长的使用寿命。将太阳能转化为我们已经知道如何使用的其他形式的能量，有三种选择，转化为立即使用的电能，转化为可以储存起来供以后使用的燃料，或者转化为热能。本文讨论了前两种方法。在太阳能发电方面，硅太阳能电池已经用于商业应用，并且具有相当不错的功率转换效率。用于研究或非常专业应用的先进多结半导体电池提供更高的功率转换效率。由于上述原因以及本期几篇文章中进一步讨论的原因，需要其他类型的太阳能电池材料，如塑料或混合材料。本期的几篇论文描述了正在进行的开发这种太阳能电池的工作。太阳并不总是灿烂的，一些应用，如汽车的动力，不能方便地直接用太阳能电池来完成。因此，有必要将太阳能储存在燃料中，以便在需要时使用。当然，太阳能发电可以通过电解来生产燃料，但如果能直接将太阳能转化为燃料会更好（可能更有效率）。太阳能燃料产生的自然过程，光合作用，整体光到生物质的转换效率很低，约为1%。然而，转换和存储光能作为能量丰富的中间体的量子效率可以接近100%，这些过程的功率转换效率为10%。探索了许多不同的太阳能燃料生产方法。以自然的解决方案为蓝本，设计了具有光敏剂和水分解和燃料生产功能的超分子、多色系统。分子氢是最常见的燃料，但大规模太阳能驱动的碳基燃料生产（以二氧化碳为起点）
The rapidly increasing world-wide energy consumption, in combination with the climate and environmental consequences of today’s energy production, calls for a significant increase of renewable energy in our energy mix. Solar energy is abundant, but so far a very small part of the energy we use. If we can find ways to convert solar energy into forms of energy that we know how to handle and use, a large part of the “energy problem” is solved. Methods and materials that we develop have to fulfil a number of requirements: lead to devices producing electricity from fuel at a competitive price; use environmentally benign materials and processes; only use abundant elements; use processes and materials suitable for large scale production; the materials and devices utilized should have a long lifetime. For conversion of solar energy into other forms of energy, that we already know how to use, there are three choices, conversion to electricity for immediate use, conversion to a fuel that can be stored for later use, or conversion to heat. In this themed issue the two first approaches are discussed. For solar electricity production silicon solar cells already exist for commercial applications and have quite decent power conversion efficiency. Advanced multi-junction semiconductor cells for research or very specialized applications provide much higher power conversion efficiencies. For the reasons given above and further discussed in several of the articles in this issue, other types of solar cell materials are needed, like plastic or hybrid materials. Several of the papers in this issue describe work being carried out to develop such solar cells. The sun is not always shining and some applications, like the powering of motor vehicles, cannot be conveniently done directly with solar cells. Therefore there is a need to store the solar energy in a fuel that can be used when it is needed. Of course, solar generated electricity can be used to produce a fuel via electrolysis, but it would be better (probably more efficient) if this could be done directly—solar energy to fuel.The natural process for solar fuel generation, photosynthesis, has a low overall light-to-biomass conversion efficiency of approximately 1%. However, the quantum efficiency for converting and storing the light energy as energy rich intermediates can approach 100% and power conversion efficiencies for these processes are tens of percent. Many different approaches for solar fuel production are explored. Using Nature’s solution as a blue print, supramolecular, multichromophoric systems are designed with photosensitizers and functions for water splitting and fuel production. Molecular hydrogen is the most commonly considered fuel, but large scale solar energy driven production of carbon based fuels (using CO2 as starting