Producing hydrogen with sunlight
Collecting light with artificial moth eyes
![https://carboquant.empa.ch/documents/56164/256671/a592-2014-06-18-b1x-Mottenauge.jpg/d058d855-89bb-40ce-b652-d34d223de8a2?t=1448295981000](https://carboquant.empa.ch/documents/56164/256671/a592-2014-06-18-b1x-Mottenauge.jpg/d058d855-89bb-40ce-b652-d34d223de8a2?t=1448295981000)
Florent Boudoire tests the functioning of his photoelectrode in a sunlight simulator. Image: EmpaEmpa |
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Rust – iron oxide – could revolutionise solar cell technology. This usually unwanted substance can be used to make photoelectrodes which split water and generate hydrogen. Sunlight is thereby directly converted into valuable fuel rather than first being used to generate electricity. Unfortunately, as a raw material iron oxide has its limitations. Although it is unbelievably cheap and absorbs light in exactly the wavelength region where the sun emits the most energy, it conducts electricity very poorly and must therefore be used in the form of an extremely thin film in order for the water splitting technique to work. The disadvantage of this is that these thin-films absorb too little of the sunlight shining on the cell. | ||||
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How the "moth eye solar cell" is created, and how it collects light. |
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Microspheres to collect the sunlight In principle the newly conceived microstructure functions like the eye of a moth, explains Florent Boudoire. The eyes of these night active creatures need to collect as much light as possible to see in the dark, and also must reflect as little as possible to avoid detection and being eaten by their enemies. The microstructure of their eyes especially adapted to the appropriate wavelength of light. Empa's photocells take advantage of the same effect. In order to recreate artificial moth eyes from metal oxide microspheres, Florent Boudoire sprays a sheet of glass with a suspension of plastic particles, each of which contains at its centre a drop of tungsten salt solution. The particles lie on the glass like a layer of marbles packed close to each other. The sheet is placed in an oven and heated, the plastic material burns away and each drop of salt solution is transformed into the required tungsten oxide microsphere. The next step is to spray the new structure with an iron salt solution and once again heat it in an oven. |
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How the «moth eye solar cell» functions: with the help of sunlight water molecules are split into oxygen and hydrogen. |
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"Capturing light" simulated on the computer |
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Images in print resolution may be downloaded here. | ||||
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