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US 11,377,747 B2Granted
Solar fuels generator with pH separation
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsChengxiang Xiang, Xinghao Zhou, Ke Sun, Ryan J. Jones, Nathan S. Lewis
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Abstract
A solar fuels generator includes an anolyte and a catholyte in contact with a separator. The separator is configured such that the pH of the anolyte and the pH of the catholyte are each held at a steady state pH level during operation of the solar fuels generator. The steady state pH level of the anolyte is different from the steady state pH level of the catholyte.
Claims20
A solar fuels generator, comprising:
- an anolyte reservoir;
- a catholyte reservoir,
- a anode in the anolyte reservoir,
- a photocathode in the catholyte reservoir,
- a separator between the anolyte reservoir and catholyte reservoir,
- an anolyte in the anolyte reservoir in contact with the separator and the anode, and
- a catholyte in the catholyte reservoir in contact with the separator and the photocathode,
- a pH of the anolyte being at a steady state pH level during operation of the solar fuels generator and a pH of the catholyte being at a steady state pH level during operation of the solar fuels generator, and
- the steady state pH level of the anolyte being different from the steady state pH level of the catholyte.
6 more elements
A solar fuels generator, comprising:
- a first reactor configured to contain an anolyte in contact with a separator and an anode and a second reactor configured to contain a catholyte in contact with the separator and a photocathode, and
- the separator includes an anion exchange membrane and a cation exchange membrane arranged such that a component of the anolyte and/or the catholyte cannot travel across through the separator without traveling through both the anion exchange membrane and the cation exchange membrane.
A solar fuels generator, comprising:
- a first reactor configured to contain an anolyte in contact with a separator and an anode and a second reactor configured to contain a catholyte in contact with the separator and a photocathode,
- the separator being configured to keep a pH of the anolyte at a steady state pH level during operation of the solar fuels generator and to keep a pH of the anolyte at a steady state pH level during operation of the solar fuels generator, and
- the steady state pH level of the anolyte being different from the steady state pH level of the catholyte.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.