Photochemical conversion of solar energy. Quarterly progress report, July 1, 1976--September 30, 1976. [Iron--thionine]

Technical Report · Wed Dec 08 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:5253061

Lichtin, N N

A sunlight engineering efficiency of 0.036 percent was observed with the single thin layer totally illuminated iron-thionine cell with SnO/sub 2/ anode and Pt cathode, an increase of 33 percent. Voltage output of TI-TL iron-thionine SnO/sub 2//Pt cells with 50 v/v percent aqueous Ch/sub 3/CN as solvent varied little with temperature from 12 to 133/sup 0/F but current output was lower at the extremes than at approximately 70/sup 0/F. I/sub sc/ of TI-TL iron-thionine SnO/sub 2//Pt aqueous CH/sub 3/CN cells varies linearly with (TH/sub 3//sup +/)/sub pss/, the photostationary concentration of leucothionine, over a range of solvent compositions, solute concentrations and light intensities. Solutions in certain ternary mixtures of water, CH/sub 3/CN and (CF/sub 3/)/sub 2/CHOH produce power outputs comparable to those obtained in 50 v/v percent aqueous CH/sub 3/CN. Solubility of thionine in 10/sup -2/ M aqueous H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ is doubled by addition of 10 w/w percent of the uncharged surfactant Brij-35 and dimerization of such 1 mM solutions is suppressed. Voltage outputs obtained with cells employing the latter solvent are at least equal to those obtained with 50 v/v percent aqueous CH/sub 3/CN while I/sub sc/ values are about 25 percent as large. Compound anodes have been fabricated by sputtering TiO/sub 2/ onto Pt. Electrochemical aspects of the degradation of Cd/sub 2/SnO/sub 4/ cathodes in the iron-thionine cell have been studied.

• Research Organization: Boston Univ., Mass. (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
• OSTI ID: 5253061
• Report Number(s): NSF/RANN/SE/AER-72-03579/A05/76/3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140505* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photochemical
Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion-- (1980-)
AMINES
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DISPERSIONS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
IRON
METALS
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOTOGALVANIC CELLS
PLATINUM
PLATINUM METALS
REDOX REACTIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SOLUBILITY
SOLUTIONS
SULFURIC ACID
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TESTING
THIONINE
TIN COMPOUNDS
TIN OXIDES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS