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Showing posts with the label Green Chemistry

Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cell

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25.7 MW Lauingen Energy Park, Germany As part of solutions for the climate change, the demand for 'clean' energy has increased in the recent years. One of the piece of technologies that can fulfil this demand is solar cell which it can harness the solar energy. At this stage, the conventional solar cell, which is made of a thick layer of doped-silicon, is very expensive and the manufacturing process is energy consuming process. Another type of solar cell, dye sensitised solar cell (DSSC) or Grätzell cell, can be a solution for the expensive silicon solar cell. Instead of expensive silicon as semiconductor, cheaper TiO 2 is used and ruthenium-based complex compound as solar light harvester. However, this cell has a problem with solvent leakage, which can be  not environmentally friendly. The efficiency of this cell is also a problem; DSSC's efficiency is up to 11% while Si-based solar cell can be up to 25%. To address these problems, another type of solar cell has been ...

The Chemistry of Solar Energy

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In this section, we will try to discuss the chemistry behind the solar cell such as the types of photovoltaic cell and how it works. Furthermore, we will also see the future application. To begin with, we will start from the Sun as the energy source for photovoltaic cell. The sun is comprised mainly of H and He by 74% (w/w) and 25% (w/w) respectively. The energy from the sun is produced by the nuclear fusion reaction. At the core of the sun, H-2 (deuterium) and H-3 (tritium) undergo nuclear fusion reaction to form He-4, a neutron, and as well the energy itself, and the reaction is: Moreover, the energy that is produced from H fusion reaction is 17.6 MeV (1 eV = 96.5 kJ). Besides that, the sun also acts as a black-body radiator at a temperature of 5800 °C, and it is emitting photons mostly in visible range. A black body radiator can be defined as an idealised object that emits a temperature-dependent spectrum of light and a photon is the elementary particle responsible for electrom...

The Chemistry of Fuel Cells

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Fuel cell can be described as it can directly convert the chemical energy that is carried by hydrogen fuel into electrical energy and it is suggested that as the final step in a hydrogen economy. Moreover, fuel cells are unique in terms of the variety of potential application, from small electronic devices up to power plants. Sir William R. Grove

The Chemistry of Hydrogen Fuel: Economy, Generation, and Storage

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The supply of clean and renewable energy is probably one of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century and mainly the energy sources is came from fossil fuel. It is estimated that current reserves will be exhausted in approximately 50 years, so it is vital that alternative energy sources are found soon. This is in part due to the finite supply of oil, but also to reduce harmful emissions associated with the burning of oil. One of the alternative energy source is hydrogen.

Recycling CO2 to make plastic

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A US company developing a novel way to convert carbon dioxide into plastics is one of six firms receiving a total of $106 million (£68 million) in government funding as the US pushes research converting captured waste carbon dioxide into useful products.