Scientists are steadily advancing on the road to converting photons into energy So far, the largest source of energy that humans have is the sun, so the best form of energy storage is chemical fuels. Someone must study the largest source of human energy and find the most efficient way to store energy. The Jorgenson Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology is the headquarters of the Joint Photosynthesis Center (JCAP). JCAP is a research project funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) with a total value of 116 million U.S. dollars. It has a total of 190 researchers and it has taken a long time. 5 years. The goal of JCAP is to design an artificial leaf that uses sunlight to make hydrogen and other fuels more efficient than biofuels. Researchers are anxiously promoting the JCAP project for a reason: About 13% of all greenhouse gases emitted are from the transportation sector, so the phase-out of fuels that pollute the environment is a core goal of environmental protection. In this regard, JCAP is particularly prominent not only because of its large scale but because of its ambitions. DOE founded 5 energy innovation centers in 2010, specifically responsible for solving specific problems through basic scientific research. JCAP is one of them. JCAP promised to design a prototype of an artificial leaf before the expiration of the 2015 funding contract. Although JCAP has made steady progress on the road to research, there is still a long way to go. John Turner, an American electrochemical scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Gordon, Colo., said: “The manufacture of artificial leaves is a very challenging research project. Although the return is quite rich, it is harder than everyone initially envisioned. Much more.†However, a lot of money and a lot of attention have made researchers confident in their ultimate success. Light access Inorganic chemist Nathan Lewis, the scientific director of JCAP, said: “People want artificial leaves to meet three major needs at the same time: high efficiency, affordable price, and robustness. Now we can satisfy any two conditions at the same time, but we cannot meet all the conditions at the same time. ." The mission of JCAP is to solve this problem and design a new system that is cheaper than simply relying on solar panel discharges to separate water molecules. The core of the JCAP-designed artificial leaves is two electrodes immersed in an aqueous solution. In general, each electrode is made of a semiconductor material that captures specific light energy from the solar spectrum. In addition, the outer surface of the electrode is coated with a catalyst to ensure that the electrode generates hydrogen or oxygen at a certain rate. JCAP's design, like other artificial photosynthesis devices, uses membranes to separate the gases generated to reduce the risk of explosion. Once the water is separated, hydrogen will appear and it can be used alone as a raw material or reacted with carbon monoxide to become a liquid hydrogen-carbon fuel. It has been a very difficult task to design the various components of the artificial leaves and make them work, not to mention to put all the components together to ensure that the entire system works well. Lewis said: "This is a good reason to build an aircraft. You not only need to have excellent engines and electronics, scientifically designed wings and fuselage, but you must also ensure that all components are combined and that the aircraft can fly efficiently and safely. †In designing artificial leaves, the most difficult task is to find the most suitable material. Taking silicon as an example, it is an excellent photocathode material, but it is stable only when it is in an acidic solution. Unfortunately, the diode's performance is just the opposite. It is stable only when it is in a solution with a good pH. In addition, as the best catalyst for oxygen production, niobium is rare and expensive and cannot be used in commercial applications. In the process of finding suitable materials, the most difficult is the selection of photoanode materials. Carl Koval, an electrochemical scientist and JCAP supervisor, said: "These electrode materials are very unstable, and even one minute of steady state can not be achieved." Many researchers use known inexpensive and stable materials in the study, and then Focus on how to make them absorb light better. Other researchers use known materials with good light absorption in their research, and focus on how to make them cheap and stable. Lewis acknowledged that the existing absorbers are too expensive to be marketed because their core parts are made of expensive monocrystalline silicon. However, if subsequent studies prove that cheaper materials are capable of working, then the entire system will become very affordable. alternative plan Koval pointed out that JCAP also faces some accusations. Some people think that it is a mistake for JCAP to focus on engineering construction and artificial leaf prototyping. If the original intention of JCAP is to promote basic scientific research, then it should not follow DOE's intentions. Some people think there are many ways to make artificial leaves. Why does JCAP choose only one of them? Koval said: "Many people think that DOE should allocate funds to different research channels reasonably, instead of favoring JCAP." However, Koval believes that if decentralization of funds will increase risk, there may be no outcome in the end. Nevertheless, many alternatives are in full swing. For example, a company called HyperSolar in Santa Barbara, Calif., is testing a new system that is covered with nano-sized particle materials, placing the light absorber and catalyst in a transparent, water-filled plastic bag. When exposed to light, the plastic bag expands. In the process, hydrogen and oxygen are generated internally. This device can be installed in areas with abundant sunlight, such as the desert. In 2009, DOE forecasted in a report that if such equipment uses cheap materials, it will increase the economical efficiency of manufacturing hydrogen by 10% and will be able to maintain its stability for 10 years. But Turner analyzed that the system is also at risk because it is also producing oxygen while manufacturing hydrogen. Once at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour in the desert, there is a danger of explosion at any time. HyperSolar researchers are exploring ways to solve this hidden problem. Syed Mubeen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, is the chief scientist of the company. According to him, one of the methods is to separate the two gases into different transparent plastic bags. Another method is to replace pure water with wastewater and incorporate organic impurities in plastic bags. However, Mubeen believes that this method completely destroys the oxygen balance. Like JCAP's stable photoanode, the absorber designed by HyperSolar is also coated with a protective material. Release prototype One day in the spring, JCAP researchers released an artificial leaf prototype system at the temporary laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley Industrial Park. The prototype system is not the best result of the research team. It can not maintain long-term stability, and the efficiency is not very high. But it is still encouraging people to see the bright future of artificial leaves. JCAP researchers hope that the prototype system will eventually lead to the industrialization of hydrogen production plants. Some researchers also anticipate that home appliances may also be able to use the system, but Lewis warned that a small amount of light could not produce enough hydrogen to support the family's energy needs. Other researchers believe that artificial leaf technology can shine in developing countries that lack energy infrastructure and provide fuel for areas that need energy. At the same time, JCAP researchers and others are also studying other options to fully advance research. Lewis believes that no matter which type of technology ultimately succeeds, the scientific spirit supporting artificial photosynthesis research is consistent, that is, tough and unyielding. He said: "So far, the largest energy source that humans have is the sun, so the best form of energy storage is chemical fuels. 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