Garry Golden

 

Continue reading below for notes on:
1) ‘Taco shell’ protein reveals quantum effects of photon/electron energy;
2) Nanoscale photocatalytic solar cell with ‘superior opto-electronic properties’ splits water into hydrogen;
3) Cheaper H2 catalyst based on nickel-ruthenium complex
4) Studying genomes of phytoplankton & carbon cycling effects;
5) Solid state H2 storage
6) Hydrogen ‘chewing’ bacteria (Ni-Fe)
7) Platinum nickel surface for improved fuel cell performance
8. China enters fuel cell vehicle race (all electric vehicle)
9) CO2 absorbing nanoparticles from MIT
10) NEC patent for CNT electrodes
11) Nanoscale generator

1) Protein structure reveals ‘wave like’ energy transfer …
The role of a “Taco shell” shaped protein (bacteriochlorophyl (BChl)) has revealed new insights into the “quantum mechanical effects” that play a role in photosynthesis:

“The taco shell protein is arguably the most studied and understood protein in a complex photosynthesis researchers refer to as the antenna system, molecules that efficiently transfer energy from light in a cascade. Photosynthesis transforms light, carbon dioxide and water into chemical energy in plants and some bacteria. The wavelike characteristic of this energy transfer process can explain its extreme efficiency, in that vast areas of phase space can be sampled effectively to find the most efficient path for energy transfer.

“We have a very detailed molecular structure of this protein and we understand the electronic properties of it very well, too,” said Blankenship. “It’s taught us a lot about how chlorophylls interact with proteins. It was ideal for this study.”

….

“We have obtained the first direct evidence that remarkably long-lived wavelike electronic quantum coherence plays an important part in energy transfer processes during photosynthesis,” said Fleming, the principal investigator for the study. “This wavelike characteristic can explain the extreme efficiency of the energy transfer because it enables the system to simultaneously sample all the potential energy pathways and choose the most efficient one.”

Fleming is also a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley, and an internationally acclaimed leader in spectroscopic studies of the photosynthetic process. In a paper entitled, “Evidence for wavelike energy transfer through quantum coherence in photosynthetic systems,” he and his collaborators report the detection of “quantum beating” signals, coherent electronic oscillations in both donor and acceptor molecules, generated by light-induced energy excitations, like the ripples formed when stones are tossed into a pond.

…
This finding contradicts the classical description of the photosynthetic energy transfer process as one in which excitation energy hops from light-capturing pigment molecules to reaction center molecules step-by-step down the molecular energy ladder.

“The classical hopping description of the energy transfer process is both inadequate and inaccurate,” said Fleming. “It gives the wrong picture of how the process actually works, and misses a crucial aspect of the reason for the wonderful efficiency.”

The taco shell is a sort of “middleman” in the antenna system, sandwiched in between a larger antenna and a molecule called the Reaction Center, where all the chemistry in energy transfer takes place, said Blankenship.

“Most of the absorption of light is carried out by a complex called the chlorosome that then transfers the energy to the trimeric protein that in turn transfers to the Reaction Center,” Blankenship said.

Why I blog this:
This groundbreaking work could have broad implications in electron energy systems. It is another example that show how much we do not know about fundamental science of energy. Photosynthesis has not yet been ‘cracked’ – and we must recognize the huge potential for the coming century. This is a fascinating research project- highly technical but the point is simple: we still have a lot to learn about quantum systems around photon – electron energy. There is plenty of room for innovation… Link from Eurekalert.org Link from Washington University St Louis

2) Nanoscale designed Photocatalytic Solar-Hydrogen Cell

“Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a unique photocatlytic cell that splits water to produce hydrogen and oxygen in water using sunlight and the power of a nanostructured catalyst. The group is developing novel methodologies for synthesis of nanostructured films with superior opto-electronic properties. One of the methods, which sandwiches three semiconductor films into a compact structure on the nanoscale range, is smaller, more efficient and more stable than present photocatalytic methods which require multiple steps and can take from several hours to a day to complete. The discovery provides a new low cost and efficient option for hydrogen production and can be used for a variety of distributed energy applications.” “We put these films in water and they promote some reactions that split water into hydrogen and oxygen,” said Biswas. “We can use any oxide materials such as titanium dioxide, tungsten oxide and iron oxide in nanostructures sandwiched together that make very compact structures. The process is direct and takes only a few minutes to fabricate. More important, these processes can be scaled up to produce larger structures in a very cost effective manner in atmospheric pressure processes.”

“Collaborations have now been established with Dewey Holten, Ph.D., Washington University professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, to better understand the electron-hole pair kinetics, information that can then be used to tune the synthesis process. Other collaborations with Robert Blankenship, Ph.D., Washington University professor of biology and chemistry in Arts & Sciences, are being explored to create hybrid bio-nanostructures that will improve the light absorption efficiencies over a broader range of wavelengths. Electrospray and other aerosol techniques are being used to create these hybrid films.”

Why I blog this:
We cannot forget- reinventing the energy industry is a marathon not a sprint. Skeptics about the future of hydrogen are trying to win the sprint. And to psyche out the rest of the crowd they make blanket statements about ‘how much energy it takes to convert hydrogen’ and ‘how difficult it is to store’.   While we are not close to commercial products - there strong evidence of advances in both production/storage that could change the game significantly - and make batteries less appealing as a short-term fix.    My optimism is tempered. But I am trying to understand how the race might evolve… especially around nanoscale engineering and biologically driven conversion. While I do believe (and support) hydrocarbons as driving the first era production of hydrogen - we must move towards an all solar-hydrogen system over the long term. This type of engineering enables that possible future.

Link from Eurekalert . or Link from Physorg

 

3) The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) have revealed ideal catalytic properties within a ruthenium complex that could produce hydrogen more efficiently and cheaply than around current systems.

“Seiji Ogo and fellow researchers at Kyushu University in Japan used a small nickel-ruthenium complex with sulfur ligands that helped to rip up hydrogen bubbled through water at room temperature. This means that the technology could be used to create hydrogen for use in fuel cells and other hydrogen technologies.”

Link from Matthey; or RSC

Why I blog this:
Again, the key to capturing electrons/hydrogen is the synthetic development of catalysts that are cheaper and more efficient than current systems based on precious metals. These types of announcements happen every month and it is only a matter of time before a code is cracked.

4) Biological Energy - Global carbon cycling
We are only at the beginning of understanding biological systems related to energy conversion within micro organisms - and their role in global carbon cycling. Collectively bacteria alter major ecosystems world and understanding their inner workings (at level of genomes and protein/enzyme catalytic clusters) gives us plenty of room to discover and innovate.

Researchers at the Scripps Institute at UC San Diego along with the DOE Joint Genome Institute have uncovered the genetic makeup of phytoplankton – which are “key in global photosynthesis and carbon cycling, and come away with surprising results about evolutionary engineering and new ideas about the role that a poorly understood chemical element may play in the world’s oceans.”

Link from Scripps Institution of Oceanography

5) Solid State H2 Storage – Japan

“A Tokai University research group has synthesized a new type of hydrogen absorption compound that is made from inexpensive materials (magnesium and aluminum) and exceeds the 3 per cent by-weight absorption criterion set by automakers as a prerequisite for fuel cell cars, possibly helping to lower the vehicles’ overall costs.

The intermetallic compound is made by rotating microparticles of at high speed under vacuum conditions at room temperature. This process of mechanical alloying yields a compound that is all in the so-called gamma phase. By optimizing the ratio of magnesium to aluminum and adding 1 per cent niobium oxide as a catalyst, the researchers obtained a material able to absorb 4.3 per cent its weight in hydrogen.

Other criteria set by the automakers are that the hydrogen absorption compound work at temperatures of 150-200 degrees Celsius (C) and absorb and release the hydrogen in 10 minutes. The new compound operates at 300 C and takes around an hour to absorb and release hydrogen, but the researchers believe that they can clear both hurdles by using a different catalyst. Compounds based on palladium can absorb more than 5 per cent hydrogen, but this metal is very expensive. Other hydrogen absorption compounds based on lanthanum and titanium have been developed, but have low absorption rates of 1-2 per cent.

Link from Fuel Cell Works via Nikkei

6) Stomach ulcer bacteria ‘chews’ up

Japanese chemists have created a small (Ni-Fe) molecule which mimics the way natural enzymes chew up hydrogen. The synthetic model should inspire designs for new catalysts which can add hydrogen to organic compounds; break up hydrogen in fuel cells; or (running in reverse) help produce the fuel for a hydrogen economy.

Many bacteria, including the stomach-ulcer causing Helicobacter pylori, can use hydrogen as a source of energy - thanks to a variety of hydrogenase enzymes which catalyse the destruction of molecular hydrogen into its constituent parts: two protons and two electrons. Two metal atoms cooperate to do the job in the enzyme’s active site: either two irons, or an iron and a nickel atom. Exactly how they work - and the importance of their sulfur, carbon monoxide and cyanide ligands, usually hostile to life - has puzzled scientists who rely on expensive solid platinum catalysts to do the same job in fuel cells.

… Ogo’s group didn’t manage to create an exact Ni-Fe synthetic copy; instead they synthesised a similarly-shaped small nickel-ruthenium complex, complete with sulfur ligands, which ripped up hydrogen bubbled through water at room temperature. This produced protons and left a hydride ion bridging across the Ni-Ru core.

Why I blog this:
I believe the nanoscale study of biology (genomics, proteomics, synthetic biology) has much to teach us about hydrogen/electron energy. This is only one of a dozens of hydrogenase bacteria being studied for clues on how to efficiently extract hydrogen from larger compounds. .Link from Fuel Cell Works

6 - extra!) A novel (passive) filtration system for methanol based fuel cells – that is ’10 times more efficient than conventional waste pumps. . Link from Engadget

7) Nano-engineering platinum surfaces for improved fuel cells

The development of hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles, the ultimate green dream in transportation energy, is another step closer thanks to recent work in the US. Researchers with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have identified a new variation of a familiar platinum-nickel alloy that they say is far and away the most active oxygen-reducing catalyst ever reported. The slow rate of oxygen-reduction catalysis on the cathode – a fuel cell’s positively charged electrode – has been a primary factor hindering development of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells favoured for use in vehicles powered by hydrogen. Link from EngineerLive

China looks at Fuel Cells

Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation is the leading automaker in the Chinese auto market which is growing at a rapid pace. The company has now said that they would produce its first independently developed hydrogen fuel-cell car under the brand name of “Shanghai”. Link from TechWhack.com

Why I blog this:
The question about the future of the automobile is not the ‘fuel’ - but the power train platform. The choices are essentially - combustion engine or all electric. All electric systems mean a combination of battery, fuel cell and capacitor. Not one of these technologies alone can bear the load… .
Fuel cell vehicles are electric vehicles. And the assumption of futures oriented automobile strategists is that electric vehicles might lead to fundamentally new designs and manufacturing platforms. Costs could drop someday – and China understands that it must catch up to the GMs and Toyota’s of the world in their fuel cell program.

9) CO2 neutralization

MIT patent for inorganic nanoparticles that can bind gases such as CO2. Link from TinyTechIP

10) Nanogenerator

Follow up story from April on nanopiezoelectric materials. (Another story from Georgia Tech) I doubt this would be applied to major energy production but could help to power NEMS (nano eletromechanical systems) or sensors.

“…prototype nanometer-scale generator — an array of tiny filaments that converts the smallest motions into electrical current — could free nanomachines from the bulk of batteries by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sources as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or even blood flow.

“This is a major step toward a portable, adaptable and cost-effective technology for powering nanoscale devices,” said Zhong Lin Wang, Regents’ Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “There has been a lot of interest in making nanodevices, but we have tended not to think about how to power them. Our nanogenerator allows us to harvest or recycle energy from many sources to power these devices.”

Link via Photonics.com

 

11) CNT electrodes/ Capacitors
NEC has filed a patent to use carbon nanotubes (nanohorns) as electrodes for supercapacitors.

Link from TinyTechIP blog