CHEMICAL REACTIONS TO CONVERT SOLAR ENERGY INTO POWER SOURCES

Technical Report · Sat Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4811951

Rowlette, J J

Photochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and the combined thermal- photochemical decomposition of sulfur trioxide were the goals of the program described. The interest in these studies lies in the ultimate possibility of using sunlight for regenerative electrolytic cells, or for the purpose of making hydrogen peroxide for other high energy applications. A theoretical examination indicated the possibility of achieving conversion efficiencies higher than those obtainable by any present device, although only some very general outlines of an approach to the problem are apparent at this time. A rather careful theoretical analysis of the photolysis and thermal decomposition of sulfur trioxide strongly indicated that a combination of a photochemical and thermal decomposition would not yield a decomposition greater than the two processes used separately. For this reason, the experimental work was limited completely to the photochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide synthesis was accomplished in beth liquid and gaseous states using cadmium telluride and zinc oxide as photocatalysts in each case. In the absence of organic additives in the liquid phase, neither catalyst showed any promise. In the presence of the additives, quantum efficiencies were quite high under some circumstances but the reactions were always exothermic and consequently of no value for energy conversion. However, it was found that the reaction could be performed in the gas phase in a flow system using solid photosensitizers. These reactions are almost certainly endothermic and therefore represent energy conversion. (auth)

• Research Organization: Electro-Optical Systems, Inc., Pasadena, Calif.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-007322
• OSTI ID: 4811951
• Report Number(s): ARL-60
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CATALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONVERSION
DECOMPOSITION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROLYTIC CELLS
GAS FLOW
GASES
HYDROGEN PEROXIDES
LIGHT
LIQUIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
PHOTONS
PYROLYSIS
REACTION KINETICS
SENSITIVITY
SOLIDS
SPACE APPLICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY
SULFUR OXIDES
SUN
TELLURIDES
ZINC OXIDES