Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors







Heifer International

Wikipedia Affiliate Button


Home > Press > Scientists to use artificial photosynthesis and nanotubes to generate hydrogen fuel with sunlight: US Department of Enregy awards $1.7 million to explore new 'green' energy creation

Abstract:
A team of four chemists at the University of Rochester have begun work on a new kind of system to derive usable hydrogen fuel from water using only sunlight.

The project has caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Energy, which has just given the team nearly $1.7 million to pursue the design.

Scientists to use artificial photosynthesis and nanotubes to generate hydrogen fuel with sunlight: US Department of Enregy awards $1.7 million to explore new 'green' energy creation

Rochester, NY | Posted on October 14th, 2009

"Everybody talks about using hydrogen as a super-green fuel, but actually generating that fuel without using some other non-green energy in the process is not easy," says Kara Bren, professor in the Department of Chemistry. "People have used sunlight to derive hydrogen from water before, but the trick is making the whole process efficient enough to be useful."

Bren and the rest of the Rochester team—Professor of Chemistry Richard Eisenberg, and Associate Professors of Chemistry Todd Krauss, and Patrick Holland—will be investigating artificial photosynthesis, which uses sunlight to carry out chemical processes much as plants do. What makes the Rochester approach different from past attempts to use sunlight to produce hydrogen from water, however, is that the device they are preparing is divided into three "modules" that allow each stage of the process to be manipulated and optimized far more easily than other methods.

The first module uses visible light to create free electrons. A complex natural molecule called a chromophore that plants use to absorb sunlight will be re-engineered to efficiently generate reducing electrons.

The second module will be a membrane suffused with carbon nanotubes to act as molecular wires so small that they are only one-millionth the thickness of a human hair. To prevent the chromophores from re-absorbing the electrons, the nanotube membrane channels the electrons away from the chromophores and toward the third module.

In the third module, catalysts put the electrons to work forming hydrogen from water. The hydrogen can then be used in fuel cells in cars, homes, or power plants of the future.

By separating the first and third modules with the nanotube membrane, the chemists hope to isolate the process of gathering sunlight from the process of generating hydrogen. This isolation will allow the team to maximize the system's light-harvesting abilities without altering its hydrogen-generation abilities, and vice versa. Bren says this is a distinct advantage over other systems that have integrated designs because in those designs a change that enhances one trait may degrade another unpredictably and unacceptably.

Bren says it may be years before the team has a system that clearly works better than other designs, and even then the system would have to work efficiently enough to be commercially viable. "But if we succeed, we may be able to not only help create a fuel that burns cleanly, but the creation of the fuel itself may be clean."

####

About University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Jonathan Sherwood

585-273-4726

Copyright © University of Rochester

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

JPK reports on single molecule research at IISER Pune in India using AFM and CellHesion techniques May 21st, 2013

Imec and GLOBALFOUNDRIES collaborate to advance high-density memory technology: STT-MRAM offers enhanced performance and scalability for embedded and standalone applications May 21st, 2013

International survey supports need for built-in water protection on smartphones and tablets May 21st, 2013

Rice unveils method for tailoring optical processors: Arranging nanoparticles in geometric patterns allows for control of light with light May 21st, 2013

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

Microneedle-Delivered Nanoparticles Boost Antitumor Vaccines May 20th, 2013

New Nanopore Sensor Simplifies Analysis of Methylated DNA May 20th, 2013

Penn engineers' nanoantennas improve infrared sensing May 20th, 2013

Researchers Perform Fastest Measurements Ever Made of Ion Channel Proteins May 20th, 2013

Announcements

JPK reports on single molecule research at IISER Pune in India using AFM and CellHesion techniques May 21st, 2013

Imec and GLOBALFOUNDRIES collaborate to advance high-density memory technology: STT-MRAM offers enhanced performance and scalability for embedded and standalone applications May 21st, 2013

International survey supports need for built-in water protection on smartphones and tablets May 21st, 2013

Rice unveils method for tailoring optical processors: Arranging nanoparticles in geometric patterns allows for control of light with light May 21st, 2013

Energy

Iran to Hold 1st Conference on Applications of Nanotechnology in Energy Industry May 21st, 2013

New Nanopore Sensor Simplifies Analysis of Methylated DNA May 20th, 2013

Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013

Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013

Fuel Cells

Researchers develop unique method for creating uniform nanoparticles May 6th, 2013

Surface diffusion plays a key role in defining the shapes of catalytic nanoparticles April 8th, 2013

Nanoparticles Combined with Light Reverses Rusting April 1st, 2013

Hydrogen stores wind and solar energy: Innovative "Power-to-Gas" concepts at Hannover Messe March 7th, 2013

Grants/Awards/Scholarships/Gifts/Contests/Honors/Records

Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013

Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013

Nanotechnology Pioneer Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year': Royal Society of Chemistry honors Chad Mirkin for commercializing innovations May 10th, 2013

International Space Development Conference Highlights - Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Former President of India - Winner of the 2013 Wernher von Braun Memorial Award May 8th, 2013

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE





  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoTech-Transfer
University Technology Transfer & Patents
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More












ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project








abbigliamento uomo
Computer Accessories
© Copyright 1999-2013 7th Wave, Inc. All Rights Reserved PRIVACY POLICY :: CONTACT US :: STATS :: SITE MAP :: ADVERTISE