Electron acceleration and capture device for preserving excess kinetic energy to drive electrochemical reduction reactions
US11342131B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 16, 2018 |
| Grant date | May 24, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 22, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P20/133
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Disclosed is a semiconductor-liquid junction based photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell for the unassisted solar splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas, the solar-driven reduction of CO2 to higher-order hydrocarbons, and the solar-driven synthesis of NH3. The disclosed system can employ a photocathode based upon wurtzite hexagonal semiconductors that can be tailored with proper band alignment for the redox potentials for water, CO2 reduction, and NH3 production, and with bandgap energy for maximum solar absorption. The design maximizes the carrier collection efficiency by leveraging spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization in these materials systems to generate hot electrons within the photocathode. These electrons have sufficient excess energy, preserved at a designed energy capture region, to overcome the kinetic overpotential (surface chemistry limitation) required for the reactions to occur at a high rate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.