Patent ID: 8936734
Filing Date: 2015-01-20
Classification: B01J,C01B,G02B,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of water splitting comprising: forming photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals, wherein each photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystal includes a first semiconductor nanocrystal capped with a first inorganic capping agent; depositing the formed photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals onto a substrate; orienting the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals, wherein the oriented photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals are included in a reaction vessel; linearly polarizing irradiated sunlight with at least one reflective surface kept at a Brewster's angle relative to the irradiated sunlight; absorbing the irradiated sunlight with an energy equal to or greater than the band gap of the semiconductor nanocrystals by the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals to create charge carriers in a conduction band of the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals and holes in a valence band of the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals; passing water through the reaction vessel so that the water reacts with the photocatalytic capped colloidal nanocrystals and forms hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, wherein the charge carriers in the conduction band reduce hydrogen molecules from the water and the holes oxidize oxygen molecules from the water; and collecting the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas in a reservoir that includes a hydrogen permeable membrane and an oxygen permeable membrane.