System for Harvesting Oriented Light for Carbon Dioxide Reduction

摘要

A system and method for harvesting oriented light for reducing carbon dioxide to produce fuels, such as methane, are disclosed. The present disclosure also relates to oriented photocatalytic semiconductor surfaces that may include oriented photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals (PCCN) which may form oriented photoactive materials. The disclosed photocatalytic system for harvesting oriented light may include a polarization system that employs reflective or polarizing surfaces, such as mirror surfaces for collecting solar energy, and orient the light rays for maximum absorption and energy conversion on oriented photoactive material. The photocatalytic system may also include elements necessary to collect and transfer methane, for subsequent transformation into electrical energy.

主权项

1. A method for reducing carbon dioxide comprising:
forming photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals, wherein each photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystal includes a first semiconductor nanocrystal capped with a first inorganic capping agent; depositing the formed photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals onto a porous substrate; orienting the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals; absorbing irradiated light with an energy equal to or greater than the band gap of the semiconductor nanocrystals by the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals to create charge carriers in a conduction band of the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals and holes in a valence band of the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals; reacting carbon dioxide and hydrogen with the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals so that the charge carriers in the conduction band reduce carbon dioxide into methane and the holes in the valence band oxidize the hydrogen into water vapor; and collecting the methane and water using a methane permeable membrane and a water vapor-permeable membrane.