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US 9,067,201 B2Granted
Nanowire-nanoparticle conjugate photolytic fuel generators
AssigneeThe Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University
InventorAli Kaan Kalkan
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Abstract
A method for generating hydrogen is disclosed. The method includes substantially submersing nanowires having metallic nanoparticles into water, exposing the water submerged nanowires to light, and collecting hydrogen gas produced by photolysis from the exposure to light.
Claims17
A method of generating hydrogen comprising:
- submersing vanadium semiconductor decorated nanowires decorated with plasmonic metallic nanoparticles into water, the plasmonic nanoparticles decorating the nanowires such that exposure to light outside the nanowire creates electron/hole pairs with the nanowire functioning as an anode and splitting water molecules into oxygen molecules and hydrogen ions using hole transfer, and the plasmonic metallic nanoparticles functioning as cathodes that transport the electrons to the hydrogen ions reducing them to hydrogen gas;
- exposing the water submerged nanowires to light;
- and collecting hydrogen gas produced by photolysis from the exposure to light.
A system for production of hydrogen gas via hydrolysis comprising:
- a water based medium;
- a plurality of vanadium semiconductor nanowires in the medium;
- and
- plasmonic nanoparticles decorating the nanowires such that exposure to light outside the nanowire creates electron/hole pairs;
- wherein the nanowire functions as an anode and splits water molecules into oxygen molecules and hydrogen ions using hole transfer;
- and
- wherein the plasmonic nanoparticles function as cathodes that transport the electrons to the hydrogen ions reducing them to hydrogen gas.
4 more elements
A method of generating hydrogen from water by photolysis comprising:
- preparing a plurality of vanadium semiconductor nanowires decorated with plasmonic nanoparticles functioning as near field concentrators enhancing the absorption of light in the nanowires;
- immersing the plurality of nanowires in a water solution;
- exposing the solution to light thereby creating electron/hole pairs in the nanowires, the nanowires functioning as anodes that split the water molecules into oxygen molecules and hydrogen ions using hole transfer and the plasmonic nanoparticles functioning as cathodes that transport electrons to reduce resultant hydrogen ions into hydrogen molecules.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.