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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 international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201909222
Subject(s) - papermaking , black liquor , graphene , materials science , renewable energy , solar energy , raw material , carbon black , ultraviolet , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , lignin , chemistry , composite material , natural rubber , organic chemistry , electrical engineering , engineering
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.