Efficient water oxidation catalysts and methods of oxygen and hydrogen production by photoelectrolysis
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsHongfei Jia, Debasish Banerjee
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Abstract
Processes for the liberation of oxygen and hydrogen from water are provided allowing for mass scale production using abundant sources of catalyst materials. A metal oxide based anode is formed by the simple oxidation of metal in air by heating the metal for a specified time period. The resultant anode is then contacted with water and subjected to a voltage from an external source or driven by electromagnetic energy to produce oxygen at the surface of the anode by oxidation of water. These processes provide efficient and stable oxygen or hydrogen production.
Claims16
A process of producing oxygen from water, comprising:
- forming an anode comprising a metal oxide catalyst, said metal oxide comprising a metal ionic species and an oxygen anionic species, said metal ionic species comprising Co, Fe, Zn, or Cu, said metal ionic species is not Ir, said forming comprising heating a metal ionic species to 400 degrees Celsius or less for an oxidation time in the presence of an oxidation gas comprising oxygen;
- and
- contacting said anode with water in the presence of light of intensity and wavelength to produce oxygen from said water.
A process of producing oxygen from water, comprising:
- forming an anode comprising a metal oxide catalyst, said metal oxide comprising a metal ionic species and an oxygen anionic species, said metal ionic species comprising Co, Fe, Zn, or Cu, said metal ionic species is not Ir, said forming comprising heating a solid metal ionic species to 400 degrees Celsius or less for an oxidation time in the presence of an oxidation gas comprising oxygen;
- and
- contacting said anode with water in the presence of light to produce oxygen from said water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.