System and method for converting chemical energy into electrical energy using nano-engineered porous network materials

An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity, comprising:

• a first electrode;
• a substrate connected to said first electrode;
• a porous semiconductor layer disposed over said substrate, said porous semiconductor layer having a nano-engineered structure;
• a porous catalyst material on at least a portion of said porous semiconductor layer, wherein at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor layer to form an intertwining region, the porous catalyst material and the porous semiconductor layer forming solid-state junctions, the solid-state junctions are Schottky diode junctions;
• and
• a second electrode, wherein electrons from the porous catalyst material are injected into the porous semiconductor layer, and wherein an electrical potential is formed between the first electrode and a second electrode during chemical reactions between a fuel, the porous catalyst material and the porous semiconductor network.