Solar Energy Storage: H2, water and rust

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Solar Energy Storage: H2, water and rust




by Christophe » 16/10/13, 22:13

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The team of researchers of Kevin Sivula of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) developed, at the end of 2012, a technique allowing to produce hydrogen from solar energy, water and rust. In the summer of 2013, the research team of Michael Grätzel, director of the Photonics and Interfaces Laboratory at EPFL, in collaboration with a team of researchers from Technion (Israel Institute of Technology), succeeded in characterizing the optimal iron oxide nanostructures allowing efficient production of hydrogen according to the protocol devised by Kevin Sivula and his team. These two discoveries combined could become a solution, both economical and ecological, for the storage of renewable energies. Indeed, with the development of renewable energies, it becomes necessary to find tools to store energy and make it available on demand.

The idea of ​​transforming solar energy into hydrogen is not new: researchers have been working on it for more than 40 years and EPFL became involved in this voice in the 90s with the work of Michael Grätzel, who moreover received the Marcel Benoist Prize 2013 for the whole of his career. The latter, in collaboration with a colleague from the University of Geneva, invented a solar cell, known as a "photoelectrochemical cell" (PEC), capable of producing hydrogen directly from water. Theoretically, the model of the PEC cell is very interesting. American researchers have also exploited it and achieved a remarkable yield of 12,6%. However, the use of this technology is limited by its cost: 10 cm2 of surface costs some 10.000 dollars to produce (or about 7 euros).

Kevin Sivula's team therefore set out to develop an economically viable technology using only inexpensive materials and techniques. The proposed device, still experimental, was the subject of a publication in the journal Nature Photonics. It produces hydrogen from solar energy, water and iron oxides, ie. rust, applied to electrodes. The most expensive material is a glass plate. This technique, although promising, however presented only a low yield, between 1,4 and 3,6%, depending on the prototype tested. Also, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, researchers from Switzerland and Israel sought to characterize with precision the circulation of electrons through the nanostructures formed by iron oxide particles when they are applied to the electrodes. By comparing several of these electrodes, the manufacturing method of which is now mastered, the scientists managed to determine an optimal structure. This work is the subject of a publication in the journal Nature Materials.

Current systems, coupling a conventional photovoltaic cell to an electrolyser, produce hydrogen for a cost price at best equal to 15 euros / kg. Thanks to their discovery, EPFL researchers hope to offer a solution for a cost price equal to 5 euros / kg. Currently, they are working on the development of an industrial process allowing the large-scale manufacturing of electrodes.


Source: bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/74128.htm
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