Certain materials, generally metal oxides, can sustain the unassisted photo-electrolysis of water into H2 and O2. The energy contained in the photons that are absorbed by these materials can in many cases be efficiently converted into energy stored into the chemical fuels produced by the photo-electrolysis system. However, these materials have optical absorption thresholds (band gaps) that are too large to permit effective absorption of the visible and infrared portions of the solar spectrum, thereby wasting a large fraction of the incident solar energy and yielding overall energy conversion efficiencies of o 1%. Modification of metal oxide materials has been claimed to be much more promising, with a modified TiO 2 photo-anode yielding 8% efficiency in the photo-assisted splitting of water into H2 and O2 . (more…)
Several molecular systems have been constructed that mimic various aspects of photosynthesis. Two of these utilize molecular system ...
The basic processes that occur in such a system are well understood. The semiconductor electrode efficiently absorbs light, produci ...
The issues of hydrogen storage run through the hydrogen production, hydrogen transport, supply and demand for end use of hydrog ...
Hydrogen has many applications when it comes to fuel. It can be used both in internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells. ...
All of today’s hydrogen conversion products, demonstration models, and prototypes possess some deficiencies; they cannot yet pr ...
Several molecular systems have been constructed that mimic various aspects of photosynthesis. Two of these utilize molecular systems that are derived from natural photosynthesis but that incorporate chemically based modifications to produce artificial photosynthetic devices. These devices use artificial photosynthetic pigments to drive chemical reactions across lipid bilayers or use noble metal catalysts to change the function of the photosynthetic process to produce hydrogen and oxygen instead of sugars ethanol and oxygen. Neither of these systems are sufficiently robust to be operated for extended periods of time as energy unit conversion devices, but they have shown that it is possible to produce artificial photosynthetic assemblies that function well in a laboratory setting. (more…)
The basic processes that occur in such a system are well understood. The semiconductor electrode efficiently absorbs light, produci ...
Certain materials, generally metal oxides, can sustain the unassisted photo-electrolysis of water into H2 and O2. The energy co ...
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity, heat and water to produce. ...
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that directly converts a fuel to electricity by means of reactions on the surfaces of ...
The fuel cell can trace its roots back to the 1800s when a Welsh-born, Oxford-educated barrister, Sir William Robert Grove, realize ...
In the mid-1880s, Charles Fritts built the first solar cell formed by selenium coated with a thin layer of gold and with an energy efficiency of 1%. However, it was not until 1954 that Bell Labs discovered accidentally that would be the first commercial solar cell, with silicon as the base. (more…)
So-called thin-film photovoltaic devices are usually based on mixtures of elements other than silicon — most notably copper ind ...
Today, photovoltaic cells only contribute a small proportion (approximately 0.04 percent) of total electricity in the United St ...
So you're finally tired of those exorbitant electricity bills, or, you're catching onto a "greener" way of life. Either way, solar ...
The broad range of home solar energy systems are mostly known as Photovoltaic Systems (PV) or Thin Film Solar Technology. The s ...
Some people may doubt about the ability of these alternative power sources - to much like science fiction they may say. But the ...
