Optically thin light-absorbers for increasing photochemical energy-conversion efficiencies
US11912589B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 4, 2019 |
| Grant date | Feb 27, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 26, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/36
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Photochemical energy conversion is more efficient when a single light-absorbing unit is split into multiple light-absorbing units (N) that are each 1/N as thick as the single light-absorbing unit and thus use the same amount of material as the single light-absorbing unit. For electrocatalytic parameters relevant to water electrolysis, the maximum efficiency for solar-to-fuel conversion from a 1.75 eV bandgap material increases from approximately 1% for a single light-absorbing unit to greater than 20% for 128 identical stacked light-absorbing units. Alterations in utilization of photons results in a better match of the light-absorber power output to the load of the chemical transformation and in the case of high-quality light-absorbers there is an added benefit from radiative coupling between the light-absorbing units via photon recycling.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.