Hierarchical triphase diffusion photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical gas/liquid flow conversion

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical device is a versatile platform for achieving various chemical transformations with solar energy. However, a grand challenge, originating from mass and electron transfer of triphase—reagents/products in gas phase, water/electrolyte/products in liquid phase and catalyst/photoelectrode in solid phase, largely limits its practical application. Here, we report the simulation-guided development of hierarchical triphase diffusion photoelectrodes, to improve mass transfer and ensure electron transfer for photoelectrochemical gas/liquid flow conversion. Semiconductor nanocrystals are controllably integrated within electrospun nanofiber-derived mat, overcoming inherent brittleness of semiconductors. The mechanically strong skeleton of free-standing mat, together with satisfactory photon absorption, electrical conductivity and hierarchical pores, enables the design of triphase diffusion photoelectrodes. Such a design allows photoelectrochemical gas/liquid conversion to be performed continuously in a flow cell. As a proof of concept, 16.6- and 4.0-fold enhancements are achieved for the production rate and product selectivity of methane conversion, respectively, with remarkable durability.

Guanine-derived carbon nanosheet encapsulated Ni nanoparticles for efficient CO2 electroreduction

“…S14†). 47 The above results indicate that Ni@NC-1000 exhibits excellent performance and stability in the CO 2 RR process, demonstrating enormous application potential for CO production.…”

Sustainable Energy Resources for Driving Methane Conversion

“…[ 168 ] Therefore, the integration of solar‐photovoltaic and solar‐photocatalytic conversion technology is highly necessary to achieve the target product‐oriented solar‐driven sustainable conversion of CH 4 . [ 169 ]…”

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Engineered Robust Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Nanofibrous Scaffolds with Drug-Eluting, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Capacity

“…Multifunctional hybrid materials based on ES fabrics can be made by electrospinning a multicomponent solution, , coaxial electrospinning, sequential and concurrent electrospinning, and postprocessing of the ES fabrics . An elegant solution to functionalize ES fibers is dipping them into a macromolecule solution to produce composites with tuned surface characteristics. − This solution impregnation approach is facile, adjustable, and scalable, provided that benign solvents are used .…”