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Reforming of Soluble Biomass and Plastic Derived Waste Using a Bias‐Free Cu 30 Pd 70 |Perovskite|Pt Photoelectrochemical Device
Author(s) -
Bhattacharjee Subhajit,
Andrei Virgil,
Pornrungroj Cha,
Rahaman Motiar,
Pichler Christian M.,
Reisner Erwin
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202109313
Subject(s) - materials science , perovskite (structure) , substrate (aquarium) , biomass (ecology) , selectivity , reusability , catalysis , chemical engineering , process engineering , nanotechnology , waste management , organic chemistry , computer science , chemistry , oceanography , software , engineering , programming language , geology
The production of clean fuels and chemicals from waste feedstocks is an appealing approach towards creating a circular economy. However, waste photoreforming commonly employs particulate photocatalysts, which display low product yields, selectivity, and reusability. Here, a perovskite‐based photoelectrochemical (PEC) device is reported, which produces H 2 fuel and simultaneously reforms waste substrates. A novel Cu 30 Pd 70 oxidation catalyst is integrated in the PEC device to generate value‐added products using simulated solar light, achieving 60–90% product selectivity and ≈ 70–130 µ mol cm −2 h −1 product formation rates, which corresponds to 10 2 –10 4 times higher activity than conventional photoreforming systems. The single‐light absorber device offers versatility in terms of substrate scope, sustaining unassisted photocurrents of 4–9 mA cm −2 for plastic, biomass, and glycerol conversion, in either a two‐compartment or integrated “artificial leaf” configuration. These configurations enable an effective reforming of non‐transparent waste streams and facile device retrieval from the reaction mixture. Accordingly, the presented PEC platform provides a proof‐of‐concept alternative towards photoreforming, approaching more closely the performance and versatility required for commercially viable waste utilization.