Design Transformative Energy Materials Interfaces for Solar Fuels

化石燃料的使用和消耗与其他人类安全问题密切相关，如食物、水和环境退化。太阳能是最大的可持续能源，也是为数不多的可行选择之一，如核能。通过开发太阳能燃料，一种生物启发的方法，太阳能可以通过人工光合作用直接作为化学能储存在燃料中，具有能量转换和储存的双重功能。太阳能燃料可以在太阳能转换、储存、运输和分配的各个方面对移动能源的需求发挥至关重要的作用。这是一种很有前途的可持续能源，可以为我们的未来提供动力，因为它们可以为粮食生产提供可持续的能源、可持续的肥料，并减缓全球变暖。然而，设计出高效、选择性和稳定性高的CO2还原和氨合成能源材料还有待实现。所提出的研究将设计高效，选择性和稳定的催化剂。该项目的短期目标是通过深入了解缺陷和界面在选择性和有效的光/电催化过程中的作用，并在实验室规模上使用催化剂进行人工光合作用，设计用于二氧化碳还原和N2合成氨的变换器催化剂。长期目标是实现一个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持高选择性。太阳能燃料可以通过材料创新创造清洁和可持续的能源，从而使加拿大受益。这项研究计划将对学术界和工业界产生广泛的影响。在学术界，operando多模态表征与人工智能相结合将阐明机理并发现新的材料设计概念，这可以推进自然科学和工程领域的知识，并用于开发太阳能燃料的转型能源材料。在工业方面，该项目的成果将为石油、汽车、钢铁行业提供减少二氧化碳气体排放和储存核电站电力的解决方案。二氧化碳还原后的产物可作为化学工业生产其他化学产品的前体。液体太阳能燃料可以作为车辆、飞行器和空间微重力环境下的推进动力源。温和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。

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.