Chemical transformation and storage of carbon dioxide via solar-powered artificial photosynthesis on semiconducting nanowire arrays

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is recognized as the primary greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. This project is related to the capture and chemical transformation of CO2, thereby reducing its concentration in the atmosphere. The proposed photocatalytic route, compared to the conventional methods for CO2 scrubbing, involves only the use of sunlight and water, and the CO2 hydrogenation reaction takes place at room temperature. In principle, it can be of extremely high efficiency and lead to the production of clean fuels at nearly zero cost. We have already achieved, for the first time in the world, solar-powered artificial photosynthesis on such nanowire arrays, including the one-step solar-to-hydrogen conversion. In this project, we propose to demonstrate high efficiency photo-reduction of CO2 into clean fuels including methanol under direct solar irradiation using broadband metal-nitride (InGaN) nanowire arrays. Various co-catalysts, including NiO, will be employed to achieve significantly enhanced efficiency and selectivity. This novel approach, by mimicking the natural photosynthesis process and by employing engineered nanomaterials, is expected to provide an alternative, value-added approach to the capture, scrubbing, and storage of CO2 emissions. The proposed photo-reduction of CO2 offers novel technologies that can be readily integrated with the current industrial process for the capture and storage of CO2 and can be transformed into commercial systems. This project is poised to provide a paradigm shift in addressing two critical challenges we face today: global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels.