Green solutions with diamond materials:
Sunlight activates the catalytic behavior of diamond materials, thus helping to convert carbon dioxide into fine chemicals and fuels. © T.Petit/H.Cords/HZB
Horizon 2020 invests 3.9 million Euro in research project to convert CO2 into fuels using sunlight and diamond materials
A great new idea is now being investigated by scientists of Germany, France, England, and Sweden, among them HZB’s Prof. Emad Aziz. They propose exploring diamond materials for photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into fine chemicals and fuels using visible light (DIACAT).
Their proposal was ranked top in a tough selection process within the Future Emerging Technologies (FET) Section of the European Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It will be funded with a total budget of 3.9 million Euro, 526,000 Euro of which will be allocated to the HZB. The scientists propose to develop a novel technique for direct photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into fine chemicals and fuels using visible light. Their ultimate goal is to build a functioning lab-scale device.
Diamonds and light can speed up chemical reactions
Their approach is based on a unique property of man-made diamond materials: these materials can act as a catalyst when illuminated by light. The project will be coordinated by Prof. Anke Krüger, at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, and includes science teams from CEA (France), University of Oxford (UK), Uppsala University (Sweden), Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Ionic Liquid Technologies GmbH, and HZB in Germany.
Unique equipment at BESSY II, HZB
HZB scientist Emad Aziz has built up a research team following a Starting Grant awarded by the European Research Council in 2011. He has set up a unique instrument at HZB’s BESSY II synchrotron to analyze liquids and materials in solution and is also leading a Joint Lab at Freie Universität Berlin equipped with high-performance lasers with ultrashort pulses. “We have direct access to a multitude of experimental instruments that will enable us to investigate the physical and chemical properties of diamond materials”, he says. Postdoc Tristan Petit has brought his expertise on nanodiamonds to the HZB team: “My postdoc work was focused on nanodiamonds in solution. Now we will extend this work to bulk diamond-liquid interfaces and nanostructured diamond surfaces and see how well we can tune these materials to turn sunlight into fuel”, he explains.
Storing solar energy in chemicals
The research project will not only enhance the experimental and theoretical understanding of catalytic behavior of diamond materials, but might also result in a first device using diamond materials that demonstrates the feasibility of direct CO2 reduction using visible light. If the scientists can achieve their ambitious goals, their project might pave the way for a novel technique to store solar energy via sustainable production of fine chemicals and fuels.
- Battery research with the HZB X-ray microscopeNew cathode materials are being developed to further increase the capacity of lithium batteries. Multilayer lithium-rich transition metal oxides (LRTMOs) offer particularly high energy density. However, their capacity decreases with each charging cycle due to structural and chemical changes. Using X-ray methods at BESSY II, teams from several Chinese research institutions have now investigated these changes for the first time with highest precision: at the unique X-ray microscope, they were able to observe morphological and structural developments on the nanometre scale and also clarify chemical changes.
- BESSY II: New procedure for better thermoplasticsBio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to achieve optimal properties. A team from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands has now investigated at BESSY II how a new process enables thermoplastic blends with a high interfacial strength to be made from two base materials: Images taken at the new nano station of the IRIS beamline showed that nanocrystalline layers form during the process, which increase material performance.
- Hydrogen: Breakthrough in alkaline membrane electrolysersA team from the Technical University of Berlin, HZB, IMTEK (University of Freiburg) and Siemens Energy has developed a highly efficient alkaline membrane electrolyser that approaches the performance of established PEM electrolysers. What makes this achievement remarkable is the use of inexpensive nickel compounds for the anode catalyst, replacing costly and rare iridium. At BESSY II, the team was able to elucidate the catalytic processes in detail using operando measurements, and a theory team (USA, Singapore) provided a consistent molecular description. In Freiburg, prototype cells were built using a new coating process and tested in operation. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Catalysis.