Solar fuels: thermodynamics, candidates, tactics, and figures of merit

Inorganic chemistry has been and continues to be a central discipline in the field of renewable energy and solar fuels. A fundamental approach to storing solar energy is artificial photosynthesis, whereby uphill chemical reactions are driven by light, e.g. the water gas shift reaction, halogen acid...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry 2010-01, Vol.39 (42), p.121-13
Main Authors: McDaniel, Neal D, Bernhard, Stefan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Architecture
Boundaries
Figure of merit
Fuels
Halogens
Photosynthesis
Shift reaction
Thermodynamics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Inorganic chemistry has been and continues to be a central discipline in the field of renewable energy and solar fuels. A fundamental approach to storing solar energy is artificial photosynthesis, whereby uphill chemical reactions are driven by light, e.g. the water gas shift reaction, halogen acid splitting, or water splitting. This article endeavors to define a common context for these research topics, particularly by analyzing the thermodynamic boundaries of photosynthesis. Specifically, the generalized efficiency restrictions on both light absorption and energy storage are expounded, the analogous limitations for several individual photosynthetic strategies are stated, several synthetic catalyst architectures are highlighted, the advantages of molecular and macroscopic approaches are discussed, and key figures of merit are presented. This Perspective considers the common thermodynamic context and distinguishing technical differences evident among various strategies for chemical storage of sunlight.
ISSN:1477-9226
1477-9234
DOI:10.1039/c0dt00454e