Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop Fully Integrated Microfluidic Test-bed for Solar-driven Electrochemical Energy Conversion Systems
With the daily mean concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide having reached 400 parts-per-million for the first time in human history, the need for carbon-neutral alternatives to fossil fuel energy has never been more compelling. With enough energy in one hour’s worth of global sunlight to meet all human needs for a year, solar technologies are an ideal solution. However, a major challenge is to develop efficient ways to convert solar energy into electrochemical energy on a massive-scale. A key to meeting this challenge may lie in the ability to test such energy conversion schemes on the micro-scale.
Berkeley Lab researchers, working at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), have developed the first fully integrated microfluidic test-bed for evaluating and optimizing solar-driven electrochemical energy conversion systems. This test-bed system has already been used to study schemes for photovoltaic electrolysis of water, and can be readily adapted to study proposed artificial photosynthesis and fuel cell technologies.
“We’ve demonstrated a microfluidic electrolyzer for water splitting in which all functional components can be easily exchanged and tailored for optimization,” says Joel Ager, a staff scientist with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division. “This allows us to test on a small scale strategies that can be applied to large scale systems.
Ager is one of two corresponding authors of a paper in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP) titled “Integrated microfluidic test-bed for energy conversion devices.” Rachel Segalman, also with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division is the other corresponding author. Other co-authors are Miguel Modestino, Camilo Diaz-Botia, Sophia Haussener and Rafael Gomez-Sjoberg.
For more than two billion years, nature has employed photosynthesis to oxidize water into molecular oxygen. An artificial version of photosynthesis is regarded as one of the most promising of solar technologies. JCAP is a multi-institutional partnership led by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Berkeley Lab with operations in Berkeley (JCAP-North) and Pasadena (JCAP-South). The JCAP mission is to develop an artificial version of photosynthesis through specialized membranes made from nano-engineered materials that can do what nature does only much more efficiently and for the purpose of producing storable fuels such as hydrogen or hydrocarbons (gasoline, diesel, etc.).
“The operating principles of artificial photosynthetic systems are similar to redox flow batteries and fuel cells in that charge-carriers need to be transported to electrodes, reactants need to be fed to catalytic centers, products need to be extracted, and ionic transport both from the electrolyte to catalytic centers and across channels needs to occur,” Ager says. “While there have been a number of artificial photosynthesis demonstrations that have achieved attractive solar to hydrogen conversion efficiencies, relatively few have included all of the operating principles, especially the chemical isolation of the cathode and anode.”
The microfluidic test-bed developed by Ager and his colleagues at JCAP-N allows for different anode and cathode materials to be integrated and electrically accessed independently through macroscopic contacts patterned in the outside of the microfabricated chip. The transport of charge-carriers occurs through an ion conducting polymer membrane, and electrolysis products can be evolved and collected in separated streams. This general design provides selective catalysis at the cathode and anode, minimization of cross-over losses, and managed transport of the reactants. Virtually any photoelectrochemical component, including those made of earth-abundant elements, can be incorporated into the test-bed.
The Latest Bing News on:
Artificial Photosynthesis
- Alien Life Could Be Purple Instead Of Popular Green, New Study Suggestson April 19, 2024 at 3:04 am
Imagine looking up at the sky and seeing a world unlike any you've ever known. Instead of the familiar green landscapes of Earth, this planet is covered in shades of purple. It sounds like something ...
- Making crops colorful for easier weeding by robotson April 17, 2024 at 8:00 am
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts ...
- Chemistry researchers modify solar technology to produce a less harmful greenhouse gason April 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
and informed by a process called artificial photosynthesis, which mimics how plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into energy-rich molecules. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas ...
- Artificial Photosynthesis: A Game Changer for Clean Energyon March 20, 2024 at 7:13 pm
that brings us a step closer to the day carbon dioxide could be used as a resource.
- Is Artificial Photosynthesis the Next Source of Renewable Energy?on February 19, 2024 at 9:09 pm
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy, inspiring sustainable energy solutions. Artificial photosynthesis aims to imitate the process of photosynthesis to ...
- The other half of the equationon October 20, 2023 at 12:43 am
Artificial photosynthesis — splitting water with light — is an attractive way to make hydrogen, but what happens to the oxygen? A catalyst that aids in the efficient production of gaseous ...
- Artificial photosynthesis machines invented to create oxygen in space for astronautson June 13, 2023 at 11:15 am
In a game-changing technological breakthrough, scientists are creating artificial photosynthesis devices that astronauts will use on future space missions. On our lush and abundant planet Earth ...
- Artificial Photosynthesis—Making Fuels Directly from Sunlighton May 13, 2022 at 5:40 pm
Nathan Lewis will present about the discovery and development of materials and a system architecture for the direct production of fuels from sunlight. The membrane-embedded microwire array approach is ...
- A new leaf unfolds in artificial photosynthesison February 28, 2022 at 2:15 pm
In 2021, researchers from Toyota Central R&D Labs developed a large, cost-effective artificial photosynthesis system that produces industrial formate at a solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency ...
- Researchers drive artificial photosynthesis energy conversion rate higheron August 21, 2020 at 5:46 am
Chinese researchers have developed an artificial photosynthetic system with solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency in excess of 20 percent, China Science Daily reported Thursday. Plants transform solar ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Artificial Photosynthesis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Artificial Photosynthesis” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Solar-driven electrochemical energy conversion systems
- Researchers outline path forward for tandem solar cellson April 26, 2024 at 7:23 am
As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one. The same is true when it comes to solar cells working in tandem. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy ...
- 11 American Companies On the Cutting Edge of Renewable Techon April 19, 2024 at 10:30 am
Renewable tech is an uphill battle against polluting behemoths, but these companies are working to protect our planet.
- Sol Systems and SOLARCYCLE Partner to Recycle Solar Panels, Ensuring Greener Solar Solutionson April 16, 2024 at 4:26 am
Sol Systems, a leader in renewable energy solutions financing and development, and SOLARCYCLE, an advanced technology-based solar recycling company, announced today a partnership that helps ensure Sol ...
- Researchers Unveil Ultra-Efficient Tandem Organic Solar Cell With Unprecedented Efficiencyon April 10, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Researchers at ICFO have fabricated a new four-terminal organic solar cell with a tandem configuration with a 16.94% power conversion efficiency (PCE). The new device is composed by a highly ...
- 10 Reasons To Get Excited About Hydrogen Electric Vehicleson December 19, 2023 at 11:34 pm
Related: Automakers Deeply Invested In Hydrogen-powered ... the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen generates more power - compared to batteries - per unit of weight. In addition, the ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Solar-driven electrochemical energy conversion systems
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar-driven electrochemical energy conversion systems” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]