Nanoporous Ag and Ag-Sn anodes for energy conversion in photochemical fuel cells

摘要

Nanoporous Ag and Ag-Sn anodes made from chemical dealloying and electrochemical processes were studied for energy conversion in photochemical fuel cells. The porous materials possess better catalytic performance than their nonporous counterparts. Photochemical fuel cells were made using ethanol and ethylene glycol as fuels and the porous Ag and Ag-Sn as anodes. Open circuit voltage test results show that the porous anodes are sensitive to UV light. It is concluded that the nanoporous Ag and Ag-Sn materials with high surface areas can be used for photochemical fuel cell anodes.