Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization - Office of ...
Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization - Office of ...
Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization - Office of ...
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SOLAR-POWERED CATALYSTS FOR ENERGY-RICH FUELS<br />
FORMATION<br />
All methods <strong>of</strong> producing solar fuels must involve coupling photo-driven single electron steps<br />
with fuel-<strong>for</strong>ming, multi-electron transfer processes. No inexpensive, man-made systems come<br />
close to the per<strong>for</strong>mance <strong>of</strong> naturally found enzymes, which per<strong>for</strong>m such processes with high<br />
turnover and minimal energy loss. Practical solar fuel <strong>for</strong>mation requires construction <strong>of</strong><br />
currently unknown catalyst systems to <strong>for</strong>m hydrogen and oxygen from water and to efficiently<br />
reduce carbon dioxide from the air.<br />
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<br />
Significant scientific challenges confront the design and synthesis <strong>of</strong> efficient, high-turnover,<br />
solar-powered catalysts <strong>for</strong> the conversion <strong>of</strong> solar energy into energy-rich fuels. Important<br />
reactions include the splitting <strong>of</strong> water into oxygen and hydrogen and the reduction <strong>of</strong> carbon<br />
dioxide to methane. Guideposts <strong>for</strong> the development <strong>of</strong> new systems will come in part from the<br />
understanding acquired from bioenergetic proteins involved in fuel-producing reactions,<br />
especially the water-splitting reaction <strong>of</strong> Photosystem II and hydrogen-producing reaction <strong>of</strong><br />
hydrogenase. The per<strong>for</strong>mance <strong>of</strong> the current generation <strong>of</strong> catalysts is far from that required <strong>for</strong><br />
a solar fuels production system with even modest efficiency, so that the development <strong>of</strong> a new<br />
generation <strong>of</strong> fuel-<strong>for</strong>ming catalysts is necessary <strong>for</strong> integration into both higher-order artificial<br />
photosynthetic assemblies and photoelectrochemical devices. To achieve this objective, several<br />
important goals must be attained: (1) identify new methods <strong>for</strong> unraveling the mechanisms <strong>of</strong><br />
complex, coupled reactions <strong>for</strong> the solar production <strong>of</strong> fuels; (2) develop a fundamental<br />
understanding <strong>of</strong> excited-state bond making and breaking processes yielding oxygen and<br />
hydrogen; (3) understand the rates and mechanisms <strong>of</strong> multielectron/atom transfer reactions<br />
using new theoretical and experimental approaches; (4) understand how proton-coupled electron<br />
transfer reactions including H atom and hydride transfers reduce the energy requirements <strong>for</strong><br />
catalytic processes; (5) understand at a molecular level how catalytic reactions occur at interfaces<br />
and surfaces; and (6) develop molecular design and synthesis strategies to produce robust<br />
functional catalytic systems that mimic biological processes.<br />
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH DIRECTION<br />
Any practical technology <strong>for</strong> the decomposition <strong>of</strong> water into hydrogen and oxygen needs to<br />
circumvent the need <strong>for</strong> sacrificial reagents (i.e., those that are consumed and are not part <strong>of</strong> a<br />
catalytic cycle). Fabrication <strong>of</strong> all <strong>of</strong> the components <strong>for</strong> large-scale solar energy utilization must<br />
be inexpensive, a requirement arising from the large surface areas needed <strong>for</strong> future solar fuels<br />
plants. Most <strong>of</strong> the catalysts that have been explored are based on noble metals that may be too<br />
expensive <strong>for</strong> practical deployment. It is there<strong>for</strong>e important to use catalysts that are based on the<br />
first-row transition metals. Biological catalytic systems demonstrate that this is an achievable<br />
goal. The catalyst must be robust, having a high turnover coefficient, rapid cycling, and chemical<br />
stability under the harsh conditions <strong>of</strong> prolonged irradiation. A practical catalyst should consist<br />
<strong>of</strong> synthetically accessible components with favorable physical characteristics, such as solubility,<br />
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