Sustainable Oxidation Catalysts for the Production of Solar Hydrogen and Chlorine from Brine

该项目的主要目的是生产新的可持续氧化催化剂，以创建高效的无线，光电二极管，太阳能到化学能转换设备，用于盐水/海水的分离。在卤水中，H2、碱和Cl 2（或H2和次氯酸钠NaOCl）将是（分离的）产物。氢将被储存起来，以便在以后提供热量（通过燃烧）或用于发电（通过H2/O2燃料电池）。氧化的氯化物将以Cl 2或次氯酸盐的形式储存，以提供氯化水的途径或提供消毒剂。该计划将生产廉价的示范者，可以很容易地扩大规模，在家庭中使用-即在'个性化'的能源和消毒剂规模。这种系统特别适合在发展中国家使用，尽管随后开发的大规模系统-包括太阳能发电场-将允许以适合城镇和/或地方工业广泛使用的水平生产这些有价值的、可储存的化学产品。后一个按比例放大的系统将构成后续第二阶段的基础，行业主导的开发工作计划，而这里描述的第一阶段项目将侧重于概念验证和可扩展演示器的初步创建。 在该项目中开发的拟议新型ClOC将利用廉价，丰富的纳米材料（如：Mn，Ni或Co的氧化物），尽管在某些情况下，这些将掺杂分散良好，活性更高，但含量较低的材料，如二氧化钌。这些纳米材料也将被涂覆在高表面积的导电碳上，这将使它们部分地被支撑和活化。一种新的组合方法，使用高通量连续水热流动合成，HiTCH，并在较小程度上，其他电化学和光化学合成方法，将用于生产广泛的氧化催化剂。新的、基于颜色的快速筛选方法将用于对其活性进行初步评估，并将使用各种技术评估其物理特性。所产生的最佳催化剂将在电催化剂的性能方面进行优化，并进行更详细的电动力学和结构研究（例如XANES和XAFS）以及随后的机理和结构建模。这项工作将有助于确定与测试的最活跃的电催化剂相关的关键结构特征，并告知在随后合成相关材料时所采取的最佳路线，作为可能具有更大潜力的氧化催化剂。最后，所有测试的电催化剂中最好的将用于创建简单的，示范的，可扩展的工作无线光电二极管太阳能转换设备，该设备利用廉价，高效的三结硅光伏电池作为光吸收单元，用于水或盐水（包括海水）的光裂解。

SummaryThe primary aim of this project is to produce new, sustainable oxidation catalysts that allow the creation of efficient wireless, photodiode, solar to chemical energy conversion devices for the splitting of brine/seawater. In brine, H2, alkali and Cl2 (or H2 and sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl will be the (separated) products. Hydrogen will be stored to provide heat at a later date (by burning) or used to produce electricity (via an H2/O2 fuel cell). The oxidised chloride will be stored either as Cl2, or hypochlorite, to provide a route to chlorinate water, or provide a disinfectant. The programme will produce inexpensive demonstrators which can be readily scaled up for use in the household - i.e. on a 'personalised' energy and disinfectant scale. Such systems are particularly suited for use in the developing countries, although the subsequent development of substantially scaled up systems - involving solar farms - will allow the production of these valuable, storable, chemical products at a level suitable for widespread use by a town and/or local industry. The latter scaled up systems will form the basis of a subsequent, second follow on stage, industry led, developmental program of work, whereas the first stage project described here will focus on the proof of concept and initial creation of scalable demonstrators. The proposed novel ClOCs developed in the project will utilise inexpensive, abundant nanomaterials (such as: oxides of Mn, Ni or Co), although, in some cases, these will be doped with well-dispersed, much more active, but less abundant ones, such as Ru dioxide. These nanomaterials will also be coated onto high surface area conducting carbons, which will allow them to be partly supported and active. A novel, combinatorial approach, using High-throughput Continuous Hydrothermal flow synthesis, HiTCH and, to a lesser extent, other - electrochemical and photochemical synthetic methods, will be used to produce a wide range of oxidation catalysts. Novel, colour-based rapid screening methods will be used to provide initial assessments of their activities and a wide range of techniques will be used to assess their physical properties. The best of the catalysts generated will be optimised in terms of performance as electrocatalysts and subjected to more detailed electro-kinetic and structural studies (e.g. XANES and XAFS) and subsequent mechanistic and structural modelling. This work will help identify key structural features associated with the most active of the electrocatalysts tested and inform on the best routes to be taken in the subsequent synthesis of related materials as oxidation catalysts of possible greater potential. Finally, the best of all the electrocatalysts tested will be used to create simple, exemplar, scalable working wireless photodiode solar energy conversion devices, which utilise inexpensive, efficient, triple-junction Si photovoltaic cells as the light-absorbing unit, for the photocleavage of water or brine (including seawater).