Copper nanowires offer an efficient, inexpensive approach to solar energy harvesting
Copper adorns the Statue of Liberty, makes sturdy, affordable wiring, and helps our bodies absorb iron. Now, researchers at Duke University would like to use copper to transform sunlight and water into a chemical fuel.
Converting solar energy into storable fuel remains one of the greatest challenges of modern chemistry. One of the ways chemists have tried to capture the power of the sun is through water splitting, in which the atoms of H2O are broken apart so the hydrogen may be collected and used as fuel. Plants do this naturally through photosynthesis, and for half a century, scientists have tried to recreate that process by tinkering with chemical catalysts jumpstarted by sunlight.
Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one material they’ve commonly tried to use. Researchers prefer it for its transparency — which allows sunlight to pass through and trigger the water-splitting reactions — and its ability to conduct electricity. But ITO is far from an ideal material.
“Indium is not very abundant,” said Ben Wiley, assistant professor of chemistry at Duke University. “It is similar in abundance to silver in the earth’s crust.” As a result, solar fuel cells using ITO will likely remain expensive and uncompetitive with conventional energy sources like coal and natural gas, he said.
Wiley’s lab has created something they hope can replace ITO: copper nanowires fused in a see-through film. The team — including two postdoctoral researchers, a graduate student, and a former graduate student from Duke — published their new approach last month in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie.
Copper is 1000 times more plentiful and 100 times less expensive than indium. Copper nanowire catalysts also cost less to produce than their ITO counterparts because they can be “printed” on pieces of glass or plastic in a liquid ink form, using a machine that functions much like a printing press. ITO production, by contrast, requires large, sequential chambers of pumps and vacuums that deposit a thin layer of indium atoms at a far slower rate.
The copper nanowire films consist of networks of microscopic metal rods, the properties and applications of which Wiley’s lab has studied for years. The nanowires provide a high surface area for catalyzing chemistry, and Wiley’s team experimented with coating them in either cobalt or nickel — metals that serve as the actual chemical catalyst. Even with a coat of cobalt or nickel, the nanowire films allow nearly seven times more sunlight to pass through than ITO. The films are also flexible, leading Wiley to imagine the completed fuel cells one day being attached to backpacks or cars.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Solar energy harvesting
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar energy harvesting” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Solar energy harvesting
- Singapore Changi Airport aims to feature the world’s first zero-energy airport hotel in 2028on April 27, 2024 at 5:00 am
Changi Airport Group (CAG) and property developer OUE Limited (OUE) have announced that OUE has been awarded the tender by CAG for the lease and development ...
- Centro Hispano debuts $18M building, a 'space of sanctuary'on April 27, 2024 at 3:55 am
At 25,000 square feet, the new building has a striking façade in earthy coppers and terracotta shades, a color scheme that is carried indoors.
- Scientists achieve 'world-first' technological breakthrough in quest to extract solar power from space: 'Harnessing the power of space to benefit life on Earth'on April 27, 2024 at 3:15 am
This breakthrough shows that it may be possible to harvest solar energy directly from space cost-effectively. Scientists achieve 'world-first' technological breakthrough in quest to extract solar ...
- 7 ChatGPT prompts to help you live a greener lifeon April 26, 2024 at 11:00 pm
ChatGPT offered a step-by-step guide including picking a bin and where to place it, adding materials, maintaining and monitoring the condition of the bin and finally harvesting the compost after about ...
- Imperial Academic Secures €2.4m European Funding to Enhance Solar Harvesting Technologyon April 26, 2024 at 4:40 pm
Professor Jenny Nelson has won a prestigious European Research Council grant to learn lessons from plants and apply them to solar technologies.She will use the grant to unpick how plants convert ...
- What’s that?…A fuel cell that harvests energy from…dirt?on April 26, 2024 at 7:10 am
A soil microbial fuel cell where microbes in dirt could power applications which are literally “in the field”.
- Australia’s first solar garden takes the renewables boom to the communityon April 25, 2024 at 8:30 pm
Renters traditionally are missing out of Australia's booming rooftop solar benefits, with landlords reluctant to install panels. Could a farm in Grong Grong, NSW be the solution?
- New law to add rules, fees for some solar energy productionon April 23, 2024 at 3:00 pm
MAINE — A new law passed in 2023, LD 1881 will require permits from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation [DACF] and additional fees for any solar or wind energy developments ...
- 400,000 ‘solar balconies’ boost German home energy harvesting capacityon April 22, 2024 at 11:06 am
So far, more than 400,000 such systems have been installed, with over 50,000 units sold in the first quarter of this year alone. But other European countries don’t have the same enthusiasm for these ...
- My Solar Panels Are Modern Magic at Workon April 19, 2024 at 9:00 am
While providing me 100% energy independence for my off-grid home, solar panels demystified the enigma of electricity for me and increased my understanding of the movements of the Earth itself.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Copper nanowire films
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Copper nanowire films” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Copper nanowire films
- Film Clubon April 25, 2024 at 7:51 am
By Jeremy Engle and Michael Gonchar How to use our weekly Film Club feature to teach close reading and critical thinking skills via an eclectic mix of nonfiction videos. By Jeremy Engle ...
- Copper prices today: Copper is up 1.98%on April 17, 2024 at 3:26 am
The price of copper opened today at $4.37 per pound, as of 9 a.m. ET. That’s up 1.98% from the previous day’s copper price per pound and up 13.07% since the beginning of the year. The lowest ...
- Do copper bracelets help with arthritis?on April 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Some people claim that copper bracelets help ease the aches and pains of arthritis. However, there is no strong evidence that they work. Studies indicate that they have no significant impact on ...
- Copper prices today: Copper is up 12.45% this yearon April 15, 2024 at 3:12 am
What is the price of copper per pound? The price of copper opened today at $4.35 per pound, as of 9 a.m. ET. That’s up 0.15% from the previous day’s copper price per pound and up 12.45% since ...
- A catalyst for converting carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, into ethylene using vitamin Con March 29, 2024 at 8:19 am
The research team synthesized vitamin C with graphene quantum dots and fabricated a "vitamin C boosting copper nanowire" by combining the synthesized material with copper. This approach helped ...
- An all-in-one surface design for promoting highly efficient deicing/ defrosting (IMAGE)on August 28, 2023 at 6:13 am
Through the facile electrochemical method, copper nanowire assemblies were fabricated that combine photothermal, heat-conducting, and superhydrophobic properties to achieve highly efficient de ...
- Copper Mountainson May 11, 2023 at 9:14 pm
Avoiding sensationalism, Copper Mountains tells the story of a disturbing reality in achingly beautiful pictures. Advertisement ...
- Gold and Copperon May 2, 2023 at 2:40 am
A film of near-universal appeal, it puts a human face on Iran's Muslim clergy with its unusual tale of a man forced by hardship to become a better husband and father. Seyed Reza has just moved ...
- School of Film and Animationon March 22, 2023 at 5:34 pm
The School of Film and Animation is where the timeless art of filmmaking meets cutting-edge technology. It’s a creative community that allows students to explore their talents in the art of filmmaking ...
- Graphene And Copper Nanowire Thermal Interface With Low Thermal Resistanceon March 5, 2023 at 6:41 am
In the article, published in ACS Nano (paywalled; open access preprint alternative) the construction of this copper and graphene ‘sandwich’ TIM is described, along with tests. The general idea ...