Photo electrochemical procedure to break the water molecule in hydrogen and oxygen using as the main substrate the melanines, their precursors, analogues or derivates

摘要

This invention consists essentially in the employment of the melanines, precursors of the melanines, derivates of the melanines, variants, analogues of the melanines, or their precursors natural or synthetic, pure or mixed with organic or inorganic compounds, metals ions drugs; as water electrolyzing materials, employing as its only or main energy source light, natural or synthetic, coherent or not, in the hydrogen producing systems from water known as photoelectrochemical. These systems integrate a semiconductor material and a water electrolyzing element within a monolytic design to produce hydrogen directly from water, employing light (from 200 to 900 nm wavelengths) as its only or main energy source Although simple in concept, the challenge was to find a material that could bear or sustain the whole process. At least two basic criteria should be met: the system or compound that absorbs the Light should generate enough energy to Start, continue, support and finish the water photolysis or photoelectrolizing reaction, within low price, being stable and durable in a watery environment, requisites that the melanines, their analogues, precursors or derivates, fulfill reasonably and efficiently, which is an important and critical advance in solving out the main problem of the photo electrochemical designs. The procedure may be used to generate hydrogen and oxygen atoms and high energy electrons or in reverse sense, synthesizing water molecules binding hydrogen and oxygen atoms, thus producing electricity, these can be employed together or with other new and important industrial processes to obtain energy and to store it, since the melanines may store the electricity and gasses; property that would have a multiplying effect, it may be used also to the reduction of carbon dioxide, nitrates, sulphates, and other molecules.