Investigating Mixed Metal Oxide Semiconducting Materials for CO2 Conversion: Application to Renewable Energy Sources

摘要

Climate change caused by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and the limited supplies of fossil fuel resources, such as oil, have stimulated research in the utilization of CO2 as a potential energy source. The transformation of CO2 to hydrocarbons using only sunlight and a catalysts is an extremely attractive approach to producing renewable energy that is compatible with our current energy infrastructure, while possibly reducing overall atmospheric CO2 emissions. Using metal oxide semiconducting materials as photocatalysts for the photocatalytic conversion could provide an efficient and cost-effective route to recycle CO2 into useful chemicals and fuels such as methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO) and methanol (CH3OH). Therefore, the creation and identification of effective catalysts must be explored. Here, multiple mixed metal semiconductors were synthesized via spray and pipet deposition and analyzed for photoactivity using combinatorial methods. Materials determined to be photoactive are characterized and evaluated for possible conversion of carbon dioxide using gas chromatography coupled with mass-spectrometry.