A process for oxidizing water using hydrated cobalt molybdenum is disclosed. A plurality of hydrated cobalt molybdenum nanoparticles are supported on an electrode and are able to catalytically interact with water molecules generating oxygen. The catalyst can be used as part of an electrochemical or photo-electrochemical cell for the generation of electrical energy.

Photocatalysts and methods of using photocatalysts for producing hydrogen and oxygen from water are disclosed. The photocatalysts include an iodide modified photoactive material having an electrically conductive material attached to the iodide ions.

The electrochemical apparatus of the present disclosure includes a first stack that includes an oxide ion conductor as an electrolyte and decomposes water vapor to generate hydrogen and oxygen, a second stack that includes a proton conductor as an electrolyte and separates the hydrogen generated in the first stack from a gas mixture of the hydrogen and the water vapor that has not been decomposed in the first stack, and a heat insulation material that covers the first stack and the second stack.

Electrodes useful in dye sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells provide a coreshell nanoparticle having a chromophore and a catalyst, or a chromophore-catalyst assembly, linked to the shell material. Optionally, an overlayer stabilizes the chromophore or chromophore-catalyst assembly on the shell material. In some embodiments, the core material comprises tin oxide; the shell material comprises titanium dioxide; the chromophore-catalyst assembly includes [(PO.sub.3H.sub.2).sub.2bpy).sub.2Ru(4-Mebpy-4′-bimpy)Ru(tpy) (OH.sub.2)].sup.4+, and the overlayer comprises aluminum oxide or titanium dioxide.

Disclosed herein is a solar thermochemical reactor comprising an outer member, an inner member disposed within an outer member, wherein the outer member surrounds the inner member and wherein the outer member has an aperture for receiving solar radiation and wherein an inner cavity and an outer cavity are formed by the inner member and outer member and a reactive material capable of being magnetically stabilized wherein the reactive material is disposed in the outer cavity between the inner member and the outer member.

Photocatalytic device to dissociate an aqueous phase to product hydrogen gas, said device being set up in such a way that at least one photocatalytic system in contact with said aqueous phase can be irradiated by a light source to produce—through an oxidation reaction in said aqueous phase—oxygen gas, electrons and protons at a means of electron capture, said device comprising: a first zone comprising said aqueous phase, and a means for reducing said protons set up to carry out a reduction reaction on said protons by said electrons in order to generate hydrogen gas.
said device being characterised in that said means for proton reduction is a proton exchange interface with a front side facing said means of electron capture, and a back side, with only said back side of said proton exchange interface bearing at least one catalyst and/or at least one catalytic system.

A photocatalytic composition is disclosed that includes a silver halide in combination with one or more rare earth elements. The composition may be used for the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants.

Nanostructured arrays having a metal catalyst (e.g., cobalt) are irradiated with light to initiate the an artificial photosynthetic reaction resulting in the formation of carbon-containing molecules, for example, long chained hydrocarbons or amino acids. A nanostructure having one or more structural elements having a high aspect ratio can formed over a substrate and are placed in contact with water and a carbon-containing source (e.g., carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, methane). When the nanostructure is exposed to light, the water and the carbon-containing source can react to form a molecule having at least two carbon atoms chained together. Structural elements may include a number of metal layers arranged in a patterned configuration so that, upon light irradiation, a greater amount of light energy is concentrated in close proximity to the region where the reaction is catalyzed than for the case without the patterned configuration.

A composition having: titania aerogel having titania nanoparticles and copper nanoparticles. Each of the copper nanoparticles is in contact with more than one of the titania nanoparticles. A method of: providing a titania aerogel, and forming or depositing copper nanoparticles onto the surface of the titania aerogel.

The present invention relates to a photocatalyst device obtained by thin film making on solid surfaces, wherein the device comprises of titania, optionally in the form of composite with noble or transition metal(s) or metal oxides. This device (FIG. 1) is evaluated in direct sunlight for hydrogen generation (FIG. 4) and oxidation of alcohols (Table 3) using aqueous alcohol solution through water splitting and simultaneously oxidizing alcohol to oxygenated products.