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A breakthrough in methanol fuel production: Researchers at the Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) have developed a new method to convert CO2 into methanol fuel using sunlight, according to a study published in ACS Journal. The process mimics natural photosynthesis, where CO2 and water are converted into energy-rich compounds using sunlight.
How it works: The main focus was the use of high-surface-area silicon, which enhances the efficiency of the chemical reactions. The team incorporated three-dimensional silicon scaffolds on photoelectrodes to increase fuel production, highlighting the potential of high-surface-area silicon in building efficient photoelectrodes for liquid fuel generation. Researchers used cobalt as a catalyst on silicon micropillars, resulting in higher current density and improved methanol production. A different approach experimented used rhenium catalysts instead of cobalt on nanoporous silicon, demonstrating higher durability and selectivity.
Others have been experimenting with the idea: Researchers from the University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham, University of Queensland, and University of Ulm have also developed a way of turning CO2 into methanol using sunlight and copper atoms, according to a recent study. The method included developing materials allowing electrons to move from carbon nitride to CO2, a crucial step in producing methanol from CO2 under solar irradiation.
Their methodology: Photocatalysis, the process of using light to excite electrons in a semiconductor material, has shown promise in converting CO2 and water into useful products like methanol. However, the process has struggled with efficiency and selectivity. The new material, however, significantly improves these aspects. By heating carbon nitride to achieve the required crystallinity and using magnetron sputtering to deposit atomic copper, researchers achieved intimate contact between the semiconductor and metal atoms.
How does it work? The new form of carbon nitride developed by the team is 44x more active than traditional carbon nitride, even without copper. Adding just 1 mg of copper per 1 g of carbon nitride quadrupled this efficiency and changed the selectivity from methane to methanol, according to the researchers.
