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Building a Bridge from Papermaking to Solar Fuels
Author(s) -
Jiang Zaiyong,
Zhang Xinhan,
Sun Wei,
Yang Deren,
Duchesne Paul N.,
Gao Yugang,
Wang Zeyan,
Yan Tingjiang,
Yuan Zhimin,
Yang Guihua,
Ji Xingxiang,
Chen Jiachuan,
Huang Baibiao,
Ozin Geoffrey A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201909222
Subject(s) - papermaking , black liquor , graphene , solar energy , renewable energy , materials science , raw material , carbon black , ultraviolet , lignin , nanotechnology , chemistry , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , natural rubber , composite material , ecology , engineering , electrical engineering , biology
Black liquor, an industrial waste product of papermaking, is primarily used as a low‐grade combustible energy source. Despite its high lignin content, the potential utility of black liquor as a feedstock in products manufacturing, remains to be exploited. Demonstrated here in is the use of black liquor as a primary feed‐stock for synthesizing graphene quantum dots that exhibit both up‐conversion and photoluminescence when excited using visible/near‐infrared radiation, thereby enabling the photosensitization of ultraviolet‐absorbing TiO 2 nanosheets. In addition, these graphene quantum dots can trap photo‐generated electrons to realize the effective separation of electron‐hole pairs. Together, these two processes facilitate the solar‐powered generation of H 2 from H 2 O, and CO from H 2 O–CO 2 , using broadband solar radiation.