Investigation of the possibilities of reducing the dependence of human civilization from fossil fuels are in progress in several promising directions. Scientists in particular have focused their efforts on finding a more effective method of obtaining gaseous hydrogen fuel using solar energy to split water, which on Earth are many, on its components — hydrogen and oxygen.
Recently in the journal Nature Energy, an article was published, the lead author of which is an assistant Professor Yong Yan (Yong Yan) from the Technological Institute of new Jersey, which reported on the significant progress towards achieving this goal.
Jon Ian with colleagues from the National laboratory of renewable energy, Mining University of Colorado and the University of California in San Diego used to improve the efficiency of producing hydrogen gas using solar energy technology photoelectrochemical cells based on quantum dots. Quantum efficiency in the course of the experiments the researchers reached 114%.
Quantum dots — semiconductor particles of very small size of only several nanometers (1 nanometer = one billionth fraction of a meter). Researchers in the described device are the usual semiconductor materials like silicon and selenide copper-indium-gallium substituted sulfide quantum dots. Advantage of the new photoelectrochemical device is its potential ability to transform the wider part of the solar spectrum into useful energy.
The device, according to his description, solar absorbing one photon, is capable of producing two or even more electron, which is possible due to a process called “multiple exciton playback” (multiple exciton generation, MEG). The efforts of most scientists are directed on to as close to 100% performance indicator process, whereas in the present study, this level could even surpass. This shows that design-based photoelectrochemical cells described by researchers in terms of the quantum yield far exceeds the efficiency of solar cells based on quantum dots.
Jon Yang believes that the generated photoelectrochemical device based on quantum dots is an important development, which is the fruit of his long-term interest in renewable energy, especially new ways to use solar energy.
In his opinion, the result opens up the possibility in the future to generate more energy using more efficiently using solar energy approach. Moreover, he believes that new development may lead to fundamental changes in the overall progress of production technology of hydrogen fuel.
Now there is the possibility of obtaining hydrogen fuel using conventional generated by consuming fossil fuel power plants, electrical energy. But the first step with such a high quantum efficiency of application of solar energy to produce hydrogen, could potentially lead to progress towards a more environmentally friendly method of production of hydrogen fuel. Previously it was reported about the decision of some major companies to invest in the development and promotion of hydrogen energy almost 11 billion US dollars.
Will the new development the basis of a method of producing hydrogen fuel in the future?
Materials sciencedaily.com
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