Research Division 1 - dense energy carriers

• Grant number: 17/11986-5
• Support type: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program
• Duration: August 01, 2018 - July 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Cooperation agreement: BG E&P
• Principal Investigator: Ana Flávia Nogueira
• Grantee: Ana Flávia Nogueira
• Home Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Company: BG E&P Brasil Ltda
• Co-Principal Investigators: Claudia Longo ; Ernesto Chaves Pereira de Souza ; Flavio Leandro de Souza
• Assoc. researchers: Arnaldo Naves de Brito ; Elton Fabiano Sitta ; Flavio Leandro de Souza ; Francisco das Chagas Marques ; Jilian Nei de Freitas ; Lucia Helena Mascaro Sales ; Marco Aurélio Liutheviciene Cordeiro ; Pablo Sebastián Fernández ; Raphael Nagao de Sousa ; Renato Vitalino Gonçalves ; René Alfonso Nome Silva
• Associated grant(s): 18/14296-2 - International Conference on electron spectroscopy and structure (ICESS-14), AR.EXT
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/14699-0 - Bismuth and antimony based perovskite solar cells, BP.IC
• FAPESP publication: https://media.fapesp.br/bv/uploads/pdfs/fapesp_uk_zyv6Z1q_158_159.pdf

Abstract

The Dense Energy Carrier Division will consolidate expertise in materials processing, advanced characterization and physics of semiconductors devices of LNNano/CNPEM with that of Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) and Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar) in electrochemistry and photoelectrochemestry to develop state-of-the-art research in the field of solar driven routes to synthesize molecules via photoelectrochemical approach. Molecules offer the highest energy densities when compared to any form of electricity storage and are therefore referred to as 'Dense Energy Carriers (DEC)'. However, most of molecules used as fuel nowadays are processed by non-renewable and non-sustainable technologies or by bio-fuels technologies. Certainly, solar driven routes to synthesize molecules based on the photoelectrochemical approach are alternative ways to be explored in order to produce liquid fuel in a sustainable and "green" way. Keeping this in mind, the focus of this research division is the development of efficient solar driven routes to synthesize relevant product molecules from molecules that are widely available in the environment. In this way, we intend to explore the following routes to obtain high efficiency materials regarding the solar energy conversion into molecules: i) Understand materials and manufacturing challenges (e.g. thin films, inkjet printing, coatings, and atomic layer deposition process) ii) Development of novel materials and nanostructured materials (e.g. electrodes, and structured catalyst) for photoelectrochemical conversion iii) Production of H2, alcohols or hydrocarbons from CO2 and water using electrochemical and photoelectrochemical conversion In terms of technology readiness level (TRL), i.e., in terms of technology maturity, most of our research projects are located in a level classified from 1 to 3. We intend to upgrade projects that reach TRL level 3 into TRL level 4 in the first 5 years of financial support. This will be the more important task of the Technology Transfer Coordinator (TTC), in the Innovation division of our research center. The main proposal is that the Innovation Division acts as a bridge between academic research and industrial research. Innovation Division will seek to fill the gap (in terms of TRL) between academic research and industrial development. The Innovation Division will promote also workshops to demonstrate the technologies under development in the research division as well as, workshops to discuss the implementation of public policy for alternative and renewable energy. Other important point of our proposal are the activities that the Education and Dissemination of Knowledge division will implement during the duration of the project. Basically, two lines of action will be developed under this proposal: 1. prioritizing the theme of renewable energy, mainly related to solar driven routes to synthesize liquid fuels; 2. developing new products and specific projects. The planned actions will target different segments of the public, ranging from communication among the New Energy Research Center (NERC) researchers themselves to efforts directed to students (and teachers) from primary and secondary school, including also communication via the mainstream media (through press advisory activities) and activities aimed at the public at the beginning of their university education; these actions will also deal, concomitantly, with the elementary physical and chemical processes associated with the topics addressed and the more advanced applications to be developed during the investigations, as well as with cross-cutting issues such as, in particular, environmental issues. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CARRAVETTA, VINCENZO; DE ABREU GOMES, ANDERSON HERBERT; MONTI, SUSANNA; MOCELLIN, ALEXANDRA; MARINHO, RICARDO R. T.; BJORNEHOLM, OLLE; AGREN, HANS; DE BRITO, ARNALDO NAVES. pH-dependent X-ray Photoelectron Chemical Shifts and Surface Distribution of Cysteine in Aqueous Solution. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, v. 123, n. 17, p. 3776-3785, MAY 2 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

CARMINATI, SAULO AMARAL; BARBOSA, ANDRE DO NASCIMENTO; MARTINS DE FREITAS, ANDRE LUIZ; FREIRE, JR., FERNANDO LAZARO; SOUZA, FLAVIO LEANDRO; NOGUEIRA, ANA FLAVIA. Unraveling the role of single layer graphene as overlayer on hematite photoanodes. JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS, v. 372, p. 109-118, APR 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

HIGGINS, MARISSA; ELY, FERNANDO; NOME, RENATA C.; NOME, RENE A.; DOS SANTOS, DIEGO P.; CHOI, HYUNJOO; NAM, SEUNGJIN; QUEVEDO-LOPEZ, MANUEL. Enhanced reproducibility of planar perovskite solar cells by fullerene doping with silver nanoparticles. Journal of Applied Physics, v. 124, n. 6 AUG 14 2018. Web of Science Citations: 0.