American Chinese scientists develop light-touch fuel or automotive clean energy

Scientists at Kansas State University in the United States are developing clean fuels that are triggered by sunlight, or they can replace fossil fuels such as oil and become alternative energy sources that drive cars.

Yen-Ting Kuo, a researcher from Taiwan, spent several years participating in the school’s chemical project and hopes to develop new materials that can use sunlight to stimulate chemical reactions to generate energy.

Guo Yanting is studying catalysts made from metal oxides. Once the photocatalyst triggers sunlight, it will produce a chemical reaction, but it will not be damaged in chemical reactions. It is the key to the production of new fuels.

In order to make solar gasoline using hydrogen gas, Guo Yanting introduced sunlight into a water bath containing photocatalysts. The sun-induced reaction decomposes water into hydrogen and oxygen. When hydrogen is combined with carbon monoxide, syngas is formed, which is the basic structure of fossil fuels and provides automotive power.

To make a suitable photocatalyst, Guo Yanting mixes different elements in a powder and then heats it at a temperature of 700 to 850 degrees Celsius. Once this material was made, he analyzed it with electron microscopy and ultraviolet spectroscopy in order to improve the structure and properties of the photocatalyst.

In addition, he also studied the surface area of ​​this material. The larger the surface area, the better the chemical reaction, and the better photocatalytic properties are also promising for solar gasoline and other alternative fuels.

Guo Yanting said that the development of a photocatalyst that can effectively decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen also contributes to the development of fuel cells because the fuel cell is basically a reverse reaction of water decomposition, which converts hydrogen into electricity and releases water during the process. Byproducts.

He pointed out: "Although the technology of fuel cells will mature in the near future, the source of hydrogen is still a problem, because most of the hydrogen is currently taken from petroleum. Therefore, the use of photocatalysts to decompose water is the new solution for obtaining hydrogen. one."

Guo Yanting plans to do postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan in the future and continue to study solar gasoline.