Zhang, L, Álvarez-Martos, I, Vakurov, A et al. (1 more author) (2017) Seawater operating bio-photovoltaic cells coupling semiconductor photoanodes and enzymatic biocathodes. Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 1 (4). pp. 842-850. ISSN 2398-4902
Abstract
Access to fresh water and energy is ranked as one of the most severe challenges to humankind. The restricted availability of fossil fuels and clean water does not match the increasing energy demands and growing population needs, which, desirably, should be satisfied in the most sustainable, clean and inexpensive way. Here, we report clean and sustainable conversion of solar energy into electricity by photo- and bio-electrocatalytic recycling of the H2O/O2 redox couple in a hybrid bio-photovoltaic (BPV) membraneless cell comprising a sunlight-illuminated water-oxidizing semiconductor anode (either Zn-doped hematite or TiO2) and an oxygen-reducing enzymatic biocathode, in such environmental media as seawater. Upon simulated solar light illumination (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm−2), the maximum power density (Pmax) generated by the cell was 236 and 21.4 μW cm−2 in 1 M Tris–HCl and seawater, both at pH 8, respectively. In seawater its ionic content inhibited mostly the activity of the photoanode, but not that of the biocathode. The obtained Pmax values were orders of magnitude higher than those of a photo-electrochemical cell with a Pt mesh cathode (0.32 μW cm−2 in seawater). The demonstrated thermodynamically feasible coupling of cost-effective photoactive materials such as TiO2 or hematite semiconductors and enzymatic counterparts in seawater media opens a prospective clean and sustainable way of transformation of the most abundant, clean and renewable source of energy – solar light – and the Earth's most massive water resource – seawater – into electricity, which can also be used for fresh water production.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Sustainable Energy and Fuels. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) > Organic Chemistry (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Jun 2018 12:26 |
Last Modified: | 04 Oct 2018 13:16 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Royal Society of Chemistry |
Identification Number: | 10.1039/C7SE00051K |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:131235 |