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 invention comprises a process for obtaining a gas from a fluid fuel and an oxidising fluid, said process comprising steps in which the incoming fluid is subjected to temperature, photocatalytic action and reaction with catalysts, all this within a device with a tubular structure which the incoming fluid circulates through in a spiral manner, between a fixed bed attached to the walls of the duct and a circulating bed with an ionised gas stream that occupies a central position of the duct, producing a gas obtained.

Techniques for photocatalytic hydrogen generation are provided. In one aspect, a hydrogen producing cell is provided. The hydrogen producing cell includes an anode electrode; a photocatalytic material adjacent to the anode electrode; a solid electrolyte adjacent to a side of the photocatalytic material opposite the anode electrode; and a cathode electrode adjacent to a side of the solid electrolyte opposite the photocatalytic material. A solar hydrogen producing system including at least one solar concentrating assembly having the hydrogen producing cell, and a method for producing hydrogen using the hydrogen producing cell are also provided.

Disclosed herein is a composite particle comprising a first non-metallic particle in which is dispersed a second non-metallic particle, where the first non-metallic particle and the second non-metallic particle are inorganic; and where a chemical composition of the first non-metallic particle is different from a chemical composition of the second non-metallic particle; and where the first non-metallic particle and the second non-metallic particle are metal oxides, metal carbides, metal nitrides, metal borides, metal silicides, metal oxycarbides, metal oxynitrides, metal boronitrides, metal carbonitrides, metal borocarbides, or a combination thereof.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for ionizing air includes a first reflector and a first target. The first reflector receives direct UV energy (from a UV emitter) and reflects it to form reflected UV energy. The first target has an inner face that also receives direct UV energy (from the UV emitter). The first target also has an outer face that receives the reflected UV energy from the first reflector. The faces of the first target are coated with a photo-catalytic coating. The first target may also have passages between the faces.

Some of the present reactors and systems include a reactor body having a substantially-planar bottom and one or more sidewalls extending from the bottom to define a recess, the reactor body defining inlet(s) and outlet(s) for liquid and gas, and a lid configured to be coupled to the reactor body to cover the recess such that the interface between the reactor body and the lid is substantially sealed, where at least one of the reactor body and the lid is configured to transmit incident ultraviolet light into the recess, and where the reactor body is configured to receive a photocatalyst in the recess such that at least a portion of liquid delivered to the recess through the liquid inlet(s) can react with the photocatalyst in the presence of the ultraviolet light to generate gas. Some reactors and systems include liquid and gas circulation systems having pumps and conduits.

A method of photooxygenating furfural in a photooxygenating system, whereby a liquid mixture comprising furfural, a photosensitizer, and a reaction solvent is passed through a reaction section of the photooxygenating system, wherein the liquid mixture is exposed to solar radiation, while a portion of the furfural is oxidized in presence of the photosensitizer and a furanone compound is produced. Various embodiments of the photocatalytic water splitting reactor, and the water splitting system are also provided.

An alternative process and device for carrying out Fischer Tropsch (FT) syntheses is proposed, allowing the reactant entities that take part in the FT reaction to be activated and their contributions, whether by quantity or by proportion, to be adjusted. The process consists in making a particulate phase, optionally consisting of catalytic particles, flow through a reactor. While flowing through the reactor, the particulate phase is subjected at regular intervals to the action of a plasma obtained from a gas, such as hydrogen, thus enabling hydrogen activation for hydrogenation of carbon monoxide, or carbon monoxide activation in order to lengthen the carbon chains.

Described herein are systems incorporating a Casimir cavity, such as an optical Casimir cavity or a plasmon Casimir cavity. The Casimir cavity modifies the zero-point energy density therein as compared to outside of the Casimir cavity. The Casimir cavities are paired in the disclosed systems with product generating devices and the difference in zero-point energy densities is used to directly drive the generation of products, such as chemical reaction products or emitted light.

The present invention discloses a plasma dry reforming apparatus for producing synthetic gas, main components of which are hydrogen and carbon monoxide, by reforming methane and carbon dioxide injected in plasma, the apparatus comprising: a plasma reformer 100, 200 which produces carbon dioxide plasma by making carbon dioxide supplied therein into plasma, ignites plasma flame by supplying hydrocarbon to the produced dioxide plasma, and produces synthetic gas by supplying methane to the plasma flame.