CAREER: Aligned Tandem Semiconductor Microwire Slurries for Low-cost, High Efficiency Solar Hydrogen Generation

职业：用于低成本、高效率太阳能制氢的对齐串联半导体微线浆料

• 批准号: 1943977
• 负责人: Joshua Spurgeon
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1943977&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Aligned; Tandem; Semiconductor; Microwire

Solar energy be used to photochemically "split" water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel to power fuel cells or as a building block molecule for the manufacture of chemical products and materials. This research project will study novel catalysts and reactor designs for producing solar water-splitting semiconductor microparticles that are capable of solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies at a level that could make slurry reactor designs practical for commercial solar hydrogen production. The resulting discoveries will help advance solar energy technology along a path towards low-cost solar energy storage and sustainable fuel production. Such technologies potentially can revolutionize the energy industry and greatly enhance the energy independence of the United States. The research project is complemented by an educational and outreach plan that engages undergraduate and graduate students, as well as the wider community, in learning activities related to solar energy and renewable resources.In this research project, a design approach will be pursued for monolithic single-particles of ideally matched top and bottom cell bandgaps materials. The objective is to maximize light absorption and quantum efficiency while minimizing the deleterious ohmic resistances and back reactions. The specific research objectives are to: (1) Produce a tandem semiconductor photoelectrode on a base of silicon microwires capable of unassisted water-splitting under 1 Sun solar energy flux, and demonstrate a tandem single-particle slurry reactor at greater than 1 percent solar-to-hydrogen efficiency for more than 24 hours; (2) Investigate the fundamental effects of particle alignment and light scattering on the efficiency of a tandem single-particle slurry reactor by invoking variable levels of magnetic alignment and back reflection during operation; (3) Investigate the effects of particle density and single-particle current density on water-splitting back-reaction rates and co-evolved hydrogen and oxygen concentration with variable illumination intensity and carrier gas flow rate; (4) Perform mesoscale modeling via multi-physics simulations of tandem single particles to predict current distribution as a function of particle alignment and light scattering, as well as hydrogen and oxygen concentrations in the electrolyte as a function of particle current density and carrier gas flow rate, and validate the modeling by experimental results; (5) Incorporate a ternary III-V semiconductor of optimized bandgap as the top sub-cell in the tandem particles to produce a slurry reactor capable of solar-to-hydrogen in excess of 8 percent, and utilize a protective TiO2 coating to extend the particle lifetime beyond 24 hours. The educational activities will feature solar and renewable energy course development and broad dissemination, the incubation of a materials and energy science master’s degree program and certificate program, and direct inclusion of underrepresented undergraduates into the research process.This project is jointly funded by the Catalysis and Electrochemical Systems programs and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

太阳能可用于光化学"分裂"水成氢气和氧气。 氢可以用作燃料电池的燃料，也可以用作化学产品和材料制造的基本分子。 该研究项目将研究用于生产太阳能水分解半导体微粒的新型催化剂和反应器设计，这些微粒能够在一定程度上实现太阳能到氢气的转换效率，从而使浆料反应器设计可用于商业太阳能制氢。由此产生的发现将有助于推动太阳能技术沿着一条通往低成本太阳能储存和可持续燃料生产的道路前进。这些技术可能会彻底改变能源行业，并大大提高美国的能源独立性。该研究项目由一个教育和推广计划补充，该计划使本科生和研究生以及更广泛的社区参与与太阳能和可再生资源相关的学习活动。在该研究项目中，将追求一种设计方法，用于理想匹配的顶部和底部电池带隙材料的单片单粒子。 目标是最大化光吸收和量子效率，同时最小化有害的欧姆电阻和逆反应。 具体的研究目标是：（1）在硅微丝的基础上制造一个串联半导体光电极，能够在1个太阳能通量下无辅助地分解水，并演示一个串联单粒子浆体反应器，其太阳能转化为氢的效率大于1%，持续时间超过24小时;（2）通过在操作期间调用可变水平的磁对准和背反射，研究颗粒对准和光散射对串联单颗粒浆料反应器的效率的基本影响;（3）研究了在不同的光照强度和载气流量下，粒子密度和单粒子电流密度对水裂解反反应速率和共析氢氧浓度的影响;（4）通过串联单粒子的多物理模拟执行中尺度建模，以预测作为粒子排列和光散射的函数的电流分布，以及电解质中的氢和氧浓度作为粒子电流密度和载气流速的函数，并通过实验结果验证建模;（5）将具有优化带隙的三元III-V族半导体作为顶部子电池并入串联颗粒中，以产生能够进行太阳能-光伏转换的浆料反应器。氢超过8%，并利用保护性TiO 2涂层将颗粒寿命延长超过24小时。教育活动将包括太阳能和可再生能源课程的开发和广泛传播，材料和能源科学硕士学位课程和证书课程的孵化，该项目由催化和电化学系统项目和刺激竞争研究的既定项目（EPSCoR）联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Investigation of n-GaAs Photoanode Corrosion in Acidic Media with Various Thin Ir Cocatalyst Layers

• DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.1c01768
• 发表时间: 2021-10
• 期刊: ACS Applied Energy Materials
• 影响因子: 6.4
• 作者: Sahar Pishgar;Matthew C. Mulvehill;Saumya Gulati;G. Sumanasekera;Joshua M. Spurgeon

In Situ Magnetic Alignment of a Slurry of Tandem Semiconductor Microwires Using a Ni Catalyst

使用镍催化剂对串联半导体微线浆料进行原位磁对准

• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202103822
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Small
• 影响因子: 13.3
• 作者: Gulati, Saumya;Mulvehill, Matthew C.;Pishgar, Sahar;Spurgeon, Joshua M.
• 通讯作者: Spurgeon, Joshua M.

Optical Properties and Photocatalytic Performance of Si/TiO 2 Tandem Semiconductor Microwire Slurries

Si/TiO 2 串联半导体微丝浆料的光学性质和光催化性能

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.3c00568
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Energy & Fuels
• 影响因子: 5.3
• 作者: Gulati, Saumya;Mulvehill, Matthew C.;Thompson, Tyler C.;Spurgeon, Joshua M.
• 通讯作者: Spurgeon, Joshua M.