Breakthrough in converting carbon dioxide into fuel using solar energy


Date:
February 16, 2022
Source:
Lund University
Summary:
A research team has shown how solar power can convert carbon
dioxide into fuel, by using advanced materials and ultra-fast
laser spectroscopy. The breakthrough could be an important piece
of the puzzle in reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere in the future.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A research team led by Lund University in Sweden has shown how solar
power can convert carbon dioxide into fuel, by using advanced materials
and ultra-fast laser spectroscopy. The breakthrough could be an important
piece of the puzzle in reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in the future. The study is published in Nature Communications.


==========================================================================
The sunlight that hits Earth during one hour corresponds roughly to
humanity's total energy consumption for an entire year. Our global
carbon dioxide emissions are also increasing. Using the sun's energy to
capture greenhouse gases and converting it into fuel or another useful chemical, is a research focus for many today. However, there is still
no satisfactory solution, but an international research team has now
revealed a possible way forward.

"The study uses a combination of materials that absorb sunlight and use
its energy to convert carbon dioxide. With the help of ultra-fast laser spectroscopy, we have mapped exactly what happens in that process,"
says To"nu Pullerits, chemistry researcher at Lund University.

The researchers have studied a porous organic material called COF --
covalent organic framework. The material is known for absorbing sunlight
very efficiently. By adding a so-called catalytic complex to COF, they succeeded, without any additional energy, in converting carbon dioxide
to carbon monoxide.

"The conversion to carbon monoxide requires two electrons. When we
discovered that photons with blue light create long-lived electrons with
high energy levels, we could simply charge COF with electrons and complete
a reaction," says Kaibo Zheng, chemistry researcher at Lund University.

How can these results be useful? To"nu Pullerits and Kaibo Zheng
hope that in the future the discovery can be used to develop larger
units that can be used on a global level to, with the help of the sun,
absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into fuel or chemicals. That could be one of many solutions to overcome the climate
crisis we are facing.

"We have completed two initial steps with two electrons. Before we can
start thinking about a carbon dioxide converter, many more steps need to
be taken, and probably even our first two must be refined. But we have identified a very promising direction to take," concludes To"nu Pullerits.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Lund_University. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Qinying Pan, Mohamed Abdellah, Yuehan Cao, Weihua Lin, Yang Liu, Jie
Meng, Quan Zhou, Qian Zhao, Xiaomei Yan, Zonglong Li, Hao Cui, Huili
Cao, Wenting Fang, David Ackland Tanner, Mahmoud Abdel-Hafiez,
Ying Zhou, Tonu Pullerits, Sophie E. Canton, Hong Xu, Kaibo
Zheng. Ultrafast charge transfer dynamics in 2D covalent organic
frameworks/Re-complex hybrid photocatalyst. Nature Communications,
2022; 13 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467- 022-28409-2 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220216103024.htm

--- up 10 weeks, 4 days, 7 hours, 13 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)