Angela
BELCHER
Recycled Lead Perovskite Solar Cells
http://mitei.mit.edu/news/discarded-car-batteries
January 7, 2016
Discarded
car batteries
Recovering
material for novel solar cells
Material
could harvest sunlight by day, release heat on demand hours
or days later
Angela Belcher of biological engineering and materials science
and engineering, Paula Hammond of chemical engineering, Po-Yen
Chen PhD ’15 (now at Brown University), and others have shown
that a novel, high-efficiency, low-cost solar cell can be made
using lead recovered from an abundant, old-technology source:
lead-acid car batteries.
Overview
MIT researchers have developed a simple procedure for making a
promising type of solar cell using lead recovered from discarded
lead-acid car batteries — a practice that could benefit both the
environment and human health. As new lead-free car batteries
come into use, old batteries would be sent to the solar industry
rather than to landfills. And if production of this new,
high-efficiency, low-cost solar cell takes off—as many experts
think it will — manufacturers’ increased demand for lead could
be met without additional lead mining and smelting. Laboratory
experiments confirm that solar cells made with recycled lead
work just as well as those made with high-purity, commercially
available starting materials. Battery recycling could thus
support production of these novel solar cells while researchers
work to replace the lead with a more benign but equally
effective material.
Much attention in the solar community is now focused on an
emerging class of crystalline photovoltaic materials called
perovskites. The reasons are clear. The starting ingredients are
abundant and easily processed at low temperatures, and the
fabricated solar cells can be thin, lightweight, and
flexible—ideal for applying to windows, building facades, and
more. And they promise to be highly efficient.
Unlike most advanced solar technologies, perovskites are rapidly
fulfilling that promise. “When perovskite-based solar cells
first came out, they were a few percent efficient,” says Angela
Belcher, the James Mason Crafts Professor in biological
engineering and materials science and engineering at MIT. “Then
they were 6% efficient, then 15%, and then 20%. It was really
fun to watch the efficiencies skyrocket over the course of a
couple years.” Perovskite solar cells demonstrated in research
labs may soon be as efficient as today’s commercial
silicon-based solar cells, which have achieved current
efficiencies only after many decades of intensive research and
development.
Research groups are now working to scale up their laboratory
prototypes and to make them less susceptible to degradation when
exposed to moisture. But one concern persists: The most
efficient perovskite solar cells all contain lead.
That concern caught the attention of Belcher and her colleague
Paula Hammond, the David H. Koch (1962) Professor in Engineering
and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT.
Belcher and Hammond have spent decades developing
environmentally friendly synthesis procedures to generate
materials for energy applications such as batteries and solar
cells. Although lead is toxic, in consumer devices it can be
encapsulated in other materials so it can’t escape and
contaminate the environment, and it can be recovered from
retired devices and used to make new ones. But lead mining and
refining raise serious health and environmental issues ranging
from the release of toxic vapors and dust to high energy
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, research
teams worldwide—including Belcher and Hammond—have been actively
seeking a replacement for the lead in perovskite solar cells.
But so far, nothing has proved nearly as effective.
Recognizing the promise of this technology and the difficulty of
replacing the lead in it, in 2013 the MIT researchers proposed
an alternative. “We thought, what if we got our lead from
another source?” recalls Belcher. One possibility would be
discarded lead-acid car batteries. Today, old car batteries are
recycled, with most of the lead used to produce new batteries.
But battery technology is changing rapidly, and the future will
likely bring new, more efficient options. At that point, the 250
million lead-acid batteries in US cars today will become
waste—and that could cause environmental problems.
“If we could recover the lead in those batteries and use it to
make perovskite solar cells, it’d be a win-win situation,” says
Belcher.
Recovering
and processing materials
According to Belcher, recovering lead from a lead-acid battery
and turning it into a perovskite solar cell involves “a very,
very simple procedure” — so simple that she and her colleagues
posted a video of exactly how to do it. The sequence of steps is
illustrated in the diagram below. The first step — getting the
lead out of the car battery—might seem a simple proposition.
Just remove the battery from the car, cut it open with a saw,
and scrape the lead off the two electrodes. But opening a
battery is extremely dangerous due to the sulfuric acid and
toxic lead inside it. (In fact, when Belcher learned that high
school students were recreating the procedure for science fair
projects, she had her team delete that section of the
instructional video.) In the end, Po-Yen Chen PhD ’15, then a
chemical engineering graduate student and an Eni-MIT Energy
Fellow and now a postdoc at Brown University, arranged to have a
battery-recycling center near his home in Taiwan perform the
disassembly process.
Using
recycled car batteries to synthesize perovskite for solar
cells
This figure shows how to synthesize lead iodide perovskite from
a lead-acid battery. The simple process calls for three main
steps: harvesting material from the anodes and cathodes of the
car battery (shown in red); synthesizing lead iodide from the
collected materials (blue); and depositing the perovskite film
(green).
Back at MIT, clad in protective clothing and working inside a
chemical hood, the researchers carefully scraped material off
the electrodes and then followed the steps in the illustration
to synthesize the lead iodide powder they needed. They then
dissolved the powder in a solvent and dropped it onto a spinning
disk made of a transparent conducting material, where it spread
out to form a thin film of perovskite. After performing a few
more processing steps, they integrated the perovskite film into
a functional solar cell that successfully converted sunlight
into electricity.
Penalty for
using recycled lead?
The simple procedure for recovering and processing the lead and
making a solar cell could easily be scaled up and
commercialized. But Belcher and Hammond knew that solar cell
manufacturers would have a question: Is there any penalty for
using recycled materials instead of high-quality lead iodide
purchased from a chemical company?
To answer that question, the researchers decided to make some
solar cells using recycled materials and some using commercially
available materials and then compare the performance of the two
versions. They don’t claim to be experts at making perovskite
solar cells optimized for maximum efficiency. But if the cells
they made using the two starting materials performed equally
well, then “people who are skilled in fine-tuning these solar
cells to get 20% efficiencies would be able to use our material
and get the same efficiencies,” reasoned Belcher.
The researchers began by evaluating the light-harvesting
capability of the perovskite thin films made from car batteries
and from high-purity commercial lead iodide. In a variety of
tests, the films displayed the same nanocrystalline structure
and identical light-absorption capability. Indeed, the films’
ability to absorb light at different wavelengths was the same.
They then tested solar cells they had fabricated from the two
types of perovskite and found that their photovoltaic
performance was similar. One measure of interest is power
conversion efficiency (PCE), which is the fraction of the
incoming solar power that comes out as electrical power. The
figure below shows PCE measurements in 10 of the solar cells
fabricated from high-purity lead iodide and 10 fabricated from
car batteries. Because efficiency measurements in these types of
devices can vary widely, the figure presents not only the
highest PCE achieved but also the average over the entire batch
of devices. The performance of the two types of solar cells is
almost identical. “So device quality doesn’t suffer from the use
of materials recovered from spent car batteries,” says Belcher.
Power
conversion efficiency of fabricated solar cells
This figure shows power conversion efficiency — the fraction of
incoming solar power converted to electricity — in solar cells
that the researchers fabricated using starting materials
purchased from a vendor (left) and recovered from a spent
lead-acid car battery. In each case, the gray bar shows the
average efficiency of 10 devices, while the blue bar shows the
highest efficiency achieved in a single device. Performance in
the two groups of devices is essentially the same, confirming
that using recycled material does not compromise device quality.
Taken together, these results were extremely promising — but
they were based on solar cells made from a single discarded car
battery. Might the outcome be different using a different
battery? For example, they were able to recover more than 95% of
the usable lead in their battery. Would that fraction be lower
in an older battery? And might the quality or purity of the
recovered lead differ?
To find out, the researchers returned to the Taiwanese recycling
center and bought three more batteries. The first had been
operating for six months, the second for two years, and the
third for four years. They then followed the same procedures to
recover and synthesize the lead iodide and fabricate and test
solar cells made with it. The outcome was the same—with one
exception. In the older batteries, some of the lead occurs in
the form of lead sulfate — a result of reactions with the
sulfuric acid electrolyte. But they found that their original
procedures were effective in recovering the lead from the lead
sulfate as well as from the other compounds inside the
batteries.
Based on their results, Belcher and Hammond concluded that
recycled lead could be integrated into any type of process that
researchers are using to fabricate perovskite-based solar
cells—and indeed to make other types of lead-containing solar
cells, light-emitting diodes, piezoelectric devices, and more.
Potential
economic impact
A simple economic analysis shows that the proposed
battery-to-solar-cell procedure could have a substantial impact.
Assuming that the perovskite thin film is just half a micrometer
thick, the researchers calculate that a single lead-acid car
battery could supply enough lead for the fabrication of more
than 700 square meters of perovskite solar cells. If the cells
achieve 15% efficiency (a conservative assumption today), those
solar cells would together provide enough electricity to power
about 14 households in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or about 30
households in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. Powering the whole United
States would take about 12.2 million recycled car batteries,
fabricated into 8,634 square kilometers of perovskite solar
panels operating under conditions similar to those in Nevada.
In the long term, of course, the best approach would be to find
an effective, nontoxic replacement for the lead. Belcher and
Hammond continue to search for a suitable substitute, performing
theoretical and experimental studies with various types of
atoms. At the same time, they have begun testing the impact of
another approach: replacing a portion of the lead with another
material that may not perform as well but is more
environmentally friendly. Already they’ve had promising results,
achieving some “pretty decent efficiencies,” says Belcher. The
combination of their two approaches — using recycled lead and
reducing the amount required — could ease near-term
environmental and health concerns while Belcher, Hammond, and
others develop the best possible chemistry for this novel solar
technology.
P.-Y. Chen, J. Qi, M.T. Klug, X. Dang, P.T. Hammond, and A.M.
Belcher. “Environmentally responsible fabrication of efficient
perovskite solar cells from recycled car batteries.” Energy
& Environmental Science, vol. 7, pp. 3659–3665, 2014.
P.-Y. Chen, J. Qi, M.T. Klug, X. Dang, P.T. Hammond, and A.M.
Belcher. “Response to the comments on ‘Environmentally
responsible fabrication of efficient perovskite solar cells from
recycled car batteries’ by Po-Yen Chen, Jifa Qi, Matthew T.
Klug, Xiangnan Dang, Paula T. Hammond, and Angela M. Belcher
published in Energy Environ. Sci. in 2014.” Energy &
Environmental Science, vol. 8, pp. 1618–1625, 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP9HmTrUms0&feature=youtu.be
Recycling
old batteries into solar cells
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
A system proposed by researchers at MIT would recycle materials
from discarded car batteries — a potential source of lead
pollution — into new, long-lasting solar panels that provide
emissions-free power.
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/ee/2014/c4ee00965g#!divAbstract
Energy Environ. Sci., 2014,7, 3659-3665
DOI: 10.1039/C4EE00965G
Environmentally
responsible fabrication of efficient perovskite solar
cells from recycled car batteries
Po-Yen
Chen, Jifa Qi, Matthew T. Klug, Xiangnan Dang, Paula T.
Hammond and Angela M. Belcher
Organolead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) show great
promise as a new large-scale and cost-competitive photovoltaic
technology. Power conversion efficiencies over 15% to 19% have
been achieved within 18 to 24 months of development, and thus
perovskite materials have attracted great attention in
photovoltaic research. However, the manufacture of PSCs raises
environmental concerns regarding the over-production of raw lead
ore, which has harmful health and ecological effects. Herein, we
report an environmentally responsible process to fabricate
efficient PSCs by reusing car batteries to simultaneously avoid
the disposal of toxic battery materials and provide alternative,
readily available lead sources for PSCs. Perovskite films,
assembled using materials sourced from either recycled battery
materials or high-purity commercial reagents, show the same
material characteristics (i.e., crystallinity, morphology,
optical absorption, and photoluminescence properties) and
identical photovoltaic performance (i.e., photovoltaic
parameters and resistances of electron recombination),
indicating the practical feasibility of recycling car batteries
for lead-based PSCs.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201200114/abstract
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200114
Biotemplated
Synthesis of Perovskite Nanomaterials for Solar Energy
Conversion
A synthetic method of using genetically engineered M13 virus to
mineralize perovskite nanomaterials, particularly strontium
titanate (STO) and bismuth ferrite (BFO), is presented.
Genetically engineered viruses provide effective templates for
perovskite nanomaterials. The virus-templated nanocrystals are
small in size, highly crystalline, and show photocatalytic and
photovoltaic properties.
US2013266809
BIOTEMPLATED PEROVSKITE NANOMATERIALS
Inventor: NUERAJI
NUERXIATI / BELCHER ANGELA
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to biotemplated nanomaterials and
methods of making and using them.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Perovskite materials have attracted wide-spread attention
due to their catalytic, ferroelectric, and ferromagnetic
properties as well as their application in superconductors,
thermoelectrics, and fuel cells. Due to their unique
ferroelectric and semiconductor properties, researchers are
investigating the photovoltaic and photocatalytic properties of
perovskite materials. Nanoscaled perovskite materials exhibit
improved properties over bulk materials, and their unique
characteristics are under investigation. However, using
conventional methods to synthesize perovskite nanomaterials of
small size and high crystallinity is difficult, and preparing
them with different morphologies under environmentally friendly
conditions presents an even greater challenge.
[0004] Single crystal strontium titanate is well-known
photocatalyst for producing hydrogen without applying bias since
it has high conduction band and chemical stability. However, the
band gap of strontium titanate is in UV region similar to most
perovskite materials and limits its application. Therefore, it
is very important to develop a technique to fabricate the
strontium titanate nanowires with visible light absorption.
SUMMARY
[0005] A general method for biomimetic mineralization of
perovskite nanomaterials would present unique opportunities.
[0006] In one aspect, a method of making a nanomaterial includes
forming a perovskite in the presence of a biotemplate having
affinity for a metal ion.
[0007] The biotemplate can include a virus particle. The virus
particle can be an M13 bacteriophage. Forming the perovskite can
include forming an aqueous mixture including the biotemplate, a
first inorganic ion, and a second inorganic ion. The method can
further include forming an ion source including the first
inorganic ion and the second inorganic ion before forming the
aqueous mixture. The method can further include adjusting the pH
of the aqueous mixture and incubating the aqueous mixture for a
predetermined time at a predetermined temperature. The method
can further include calcining the reaction products after
incubating the aqueous mixture.
[0008] The perovskite can have the formula (I):
[0000]
AxA′1-xByB′1-yO3±δ (I)
[0000] where each of A and A′, independently, is a rare earth,
alkaline earth metal, or alkali metal; each of B and B′,
independently, is a transition metal; x is in the range of 0 to
1; y is in the range of 0 to 1; and δ is in the range of 0 to 1.
[0009] A and A′, independently, can be selected from the group
consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb, and Bi. B and B′,
independently, can be selected from the group consisting of Ti,
Zr, V, Nb, Mn, Fe, Ru, Co, Rh, Ni, Pd, Pt, Al, and Mg. The
perovskite can be a strontium titanate; or the perovskite can be
a bismuth ferrite.
[0010] In other embodiments, the perovskite can be a tantalum
oxide, tantalum oxynitride or tantalum nitride, or compounds
derived therefrom. For example, the perovskite can be sodium
tantalate, zirconium oxide/tantalum oxynitride, zirconium
tantalum oxynitride, tantalum oxynitride, tantalum nitride, or
zirconium tantalum nitride.
[0011] In another aspect, a biotemplated nanomaterial includes
interconnected crystalline perovskite nanoparticles.
[0012] The nanomaterial can be elongated in shape. The
nanoparticles can have a particle size of no greater than about
50 nm, no greater than about 40 nm, no greater than about 30 nm,
no greater than about 20 nm, or no greater than about 10 nm. The
nanomaterial can have a diameter of no greater than about 100
nm, no greater than about 80 nm, no greater than about 60 nm, no
greater than about 40 nm, or no greater than about 20 nm. In
some cases, the nanoparticles can have a particle size of no
greater than about 10 nm, and the nanomaterial has a diameter of
no greater than about 20 nm. The nanomaterial can have a length
of greater than 500 nm.
[0013] The nanomaterial can include strontium titanate; or the
nanomaterial can include bismuth ferrite.
[0014] In another aspect, a photocatalyst includes a
biotemplated nanomaterial as described above.
[0015] In another aspect, a photovoltaic device includes a
biotemplated nanomaterial as described above.
[0016] In certain embodiments, the biotemplated nanomaterials
can be post-treated with ammonia gas.
[0017] Other aspects, embodiments, and features will be apparent
from the following description, the drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic depictions of nano
structures and a method of making them.
[0019] FIG. 2A shows a TEM image of SrTi(EG)
precursor-incubated viruses. FIGS. 2B and 2C show TEM images
of virus-templated STO nanowires. FIG. 2D shows a HRTEM image
of virus-templated STO nanowires, and FIG. 2E shows an XRD
pattern of virus-templated STO nanowires.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a plot showing the zeta potential of the
AEEE virus at different pH values.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows the XRD pattern of virus-templated
STO nanowires synthesized at pH 5 without adding hydrogen
peroxide, containing impurities of SrCO3.
[0022] FIG. 5 XRD pattern of virus-templated STO
nanowires synthesized at pH 6 without adding hydrogen
peroxide, containing impurities of SrCO3.
[0023] FIG. 6 shows an optical absorption spectrum of
virus-templated BFO nanoparticles.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a TEM image of wild type M13
virus-templated STO nanoparticles.
[0025] FIG. 8 shows the XRD pattern of wild type M13
virus-templated STO nanoparticles.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a TEM image of free STO nanoparticles
without M13 virus.
[0027] FIG. 10 shows the XRD pattern of STO nanoparticles
without M13 virus.
[0028] FIG. 11 shows the magnetic properties of
virus-templated BFO nanoparticles at 5K and 300K.
[0029] FIG. 12A shows a TEM image of BiFe(EG)-incubated
viruses before heat treatment at 600° C. FIGS. 12B-12C show
HRTEM images of virus-templated BFO nanoparticles after heat
treatment at 600° C. FIG. 12D shows XRD pattern of
virus-templated BFO nanoparticles after heat treatment at 600°
C.
[0030] FIG. 13A is an energy band diagram for hydrogen
production of dye-sensitized STO under visible light
irradiation. FIG. 13B illustrates hydrogen gas production by
water-splitting utilizing virus-templated STO nanowires
deposited with Pt nanoparticles under UV irradiation (red
line) and visible light irradiation with dye-sensitization
(blue line).
[0031] FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram for a liquid
junction solar cell including BFO nanoparticles. FIG. 14B
illustrates photovoltaic properties of a solar cell using
virus-templated BFO nanoparticles as photoanode.
[0032] FIG. 15 is a photograph depicting the equipment
for the post-treatment of biotemplated nanomaterials using
ammonia gas flow.
[0033] FIG. 16 is a photograph of the comparison between
various STO products after treated by ammonia.
[0034] FIG. 17A is a graph depicting the XPS result
confirms nitrogen doping onto the STO surface. FIG. 17B is a
graph depicting the XRD comparison between a STO without
treatment and 700° C. treatment.
[0035] FIG. 18 is a graph depicting the hydrogen
evolutions based on various temperatures of treatment under
visible light.
[0036] FIG. 19 is a photograph depicting various tantalum
materials.
[0037] FIG. 20 is a graph depicting the hydrogen
evolutions based on various tantalum materials under visible
light.
[0038] FIG. 21 is a graph depicting the absorption
spectrum for Ta3N5 and TaON.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] Biological systems provide an ideal environment for
synthesizing natural minerals with control of morphology and
crystal structure; expanding biological synthesis to non-natural
materials while maintaining such control has been the focus of
recent study. M13 bacteriophage is a diverse bio-template that
has been genetically engineered for synthesizing nanomaterials
that can be used to make functional devices. Particularly,
metal, metal alloy, and semiconductor nanowires have been
assembled and nucleated on M13 viruses. However, biological
synthesis of ternary metal oxide nanomaterials is challenging as
it requires matching reaction rates of multiple precursors.
[0040] A biotemplated nanomaterial can include an inorganic
material. In making the biotemplated nanomaterial, the
biotemplate can serve one or more of the following functions:
serving as a nucleation site for nanoparticles of the inorganic
material, and providing a nanoscale scaffold on which the
nanoparticles are assembled into a larger nanostructure.
[0041] A nanomaterial is a material including particles having
at least one dimension on the nanometer scale, i.e., from less
than 1 nm to 1,000 nm. The particles can have any shape, e.g.,
spheres, rods, wires, tubes, or other regular shapes; or the
particles can have irregular shapes. A nanomaterial can have one
or more dimensions at the nanometer scale while one or more
other dimensions is larger than the nanometer scale; for
example, a nanowire can have a diameter that is measured in
nanometers, and a length that is measured in micrometers.
[0042] A structural feature of the biotemplate can have affinity
for the inorganic material and/or precursors of the inorganic
material. This structural feature can be small in size compared
to the overall biotemplate, e.g., on the molecular scale, such
as approximately 1 to approximately 100 nm or approximately 1 to
approximately 10 nm in size.
[0043] The biotemplate can be any nanoscale biological
structure, including but not limited to a virus particle, a
protein, a nucleic acid, a carbohydrate, or a cell. The
biotemplate can include a complex of biological structures, for
example, a complex of proteins, a complex of nucleic acids
(e.g., a double stranded nucleic, or a nucleic acid
nanostructure), a complex of proteins and nucleic acids, and the
like.
[0044] In some cases, the biotemplate includes more than
instance of a structural feature. For example, a virus particle
can include many copies of a particular protein; a nucleic acid
can include repeating nucleotide sequences; a protein can
include a repeating structural motif; a protein complex can
include multiple monomers of the same protein. The repeating
structural feature can function in forming the biotemplated
nanomaterial, for example, by providing a nucleation site for
precursors of the inorganic material to be converted to
nanoparticles, and/or for nanoparticles of the inorganic
material to bind to the biotemplate.
[0045] In addition to structural features on the scale of
approximately 1 to approximately 100 nm or approximately 1 to
approximately 10 nm in size which can help to nucleate and/or
bind nanoparticles of the inorganic material, the biotemplate
can have structural features at a larger scale, such as
approximately 100 nm to approximately 1,000 nm or longer. For
example, the overall dimensions (e.g., length, width, and
height, and/or when applicable, diameter) of the biotemplate can
be at this scale. The biotemplated nanomaterial can thus include
structural features at this scale. Accordingly, the biotemplated
nanomaterial can include a plurality of nanoparticles of
inorganic material (which may be crystalline nanoparticles), for
example at a scale of approximately 1 to approximately 100 nm,
approximately 1 to approximately 10 nm, or approximately 10 to
approximately 100 nm in size, the nanoparticles being joined or
interconnected by inorganic material, such that an aggregate
nanoparticle can have dimensions of approximately 100 nm to
approximately 1,000 nm or longer.
[0046] With regard to FIG. 1A, nanostructure 100 includes
biotemplate 110 and a plurality of nanoparticles 140 on a
surface of biotemplate 110. In making nanostructure 100,
biotemplate 110 has surface groups 120 that can interact with
nanoparticle precursors 130. (In FIG. 1, biotemplate 110 is
labeled pVIII major coat proteins; however, as discussed below,
the biotemplate is not limited to M13 virus or its pVIII major
coat proteins). Under appropriate conditions, precursors 130 are
converted to nanoparticles 140 on a surface of biotemplate 110.
[0047] A synthetic method of using a biotemplate to mineralize
nanomaterials is described. The biotemplate can be a genetically
engineered virus particle (e.g., an M13 virus particle). The
nanomaterials can advantageously be a perovskite nanomaterial,
such as strontium titanate (STO), bismuth ferrite (BFO), sodium
tantalate (NaTaO3), zirconium oxide/tantalum oxynitride
(ZrO—TaON), zirconium tantalum oxynitride (Zr—TaON), tantalum
oxynitride (TaON), tantalum nitride (Ta3N5), or zirconium
tantalum nitride (Zr—Ta3N5). Genetic engineering can provide a
virus particle having surface groups that have affinity for
nanomaterials and/or nanomaterial precursors. These surface
groups provide sites for nanoparticles to nucleate and bind,
i.e., they serve a templating function.
[0048] M13 bacteriophage can serve as a template for
nanoparticle growth. See, for example, US Patent Application
Publication No. 2011/0124488, and Ki Tae Nam, Dong-Wan Kim, P.
J. Y. Science 2006, 312, 885, each of which is incorporated by
reference in its entirety. Protein engineering techniques (e.g.,
phage display) can produce a virus that has a protein coat with
binding affinity for a desired target material, e.g., an
inorganic material such as a metal or a metal oxide. The protein
coat protein can have a metal binding motif, which, for example,
can be a negatively charged motif, e.g., tetraglutamate or a
peptide with a binding affinity to a metal. For example, the
motif can be a 12-amino acid peptide with a high affinity for
Au. In one example, engineered M13 virus particles allowed
control of the assembly of nanowires of Co3O4 with a small
percentage of Au dopant. Id.
[0049] While M13 bacteriophage can have a major coat protein
with a motif that binds specific metals, the motif can also
block binding of other metals. For example, tetraglutamate can
interact with various metal ions but blocks interaction with Au
due to electrostatic repulsion. See, for example, Ki Tae Nam,
Dong-Wan Kim, P. J. Y. Science 2006, 312, 885, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0050] The filamentous body of M13 virus includes about 2700
identical copies of the major coat protein pVIII (FIG. 1B).
Genetically engineered viruses provide effective templates for
perovskite nanomaterials. In particular, when the amino acid
sequence AEEE is expressed at the N-terminus of each pVIII, the
result is a site with high charge density (under appropriate
conditions) to interact with cationic metal precursors.
[0051] Virus-templated nanocrystals can be small in size, highly
crystalline, and show photocatalytic and photovoltaic
properties. Virus-templated STO nanowires catalyze production
hydrogen gas efficiently under both UV and visible (with
dye-sensitization) irradiation. Photovoltaic performance of
virus-mineralized BFO nanoparticles is also described.
[0052] A perovskite is an inorganic material having the same
crystal structure as the mineral perovskite, i.e., CaTiO3. As
used herein, “perovskite” refers generally to any member of the
class of materials having that crystal structure, and not to the
mineral specifically.
[0053] In general, a perovskite can have the formula (I):
[0000]
AxA′1-xByB′1-yO3±δ (I)
[0000] where each of A and A′, independently, is a rare earth,
alkaline earth metal, or alkali metal, x is in the range of 0 to
1, each of B and B′, independently, is a transition metal, y is
in the range of 0 to 1, and δ is in the range of 0 to 1. δ can
represent the average number of oxygen-site vacancies (i.e., −δ)
or surpluses (i.e., +δ); in some cases, δ is in the range of 0
to 0.5, 0 to 0.25, 0 to 0.15, 0 to 0.1, or 0 to 0.05. For
clarity, it is noted that in formula (I), B and B′ do not
represent the element boron, but instead are symbols that each
independently represent a transition metal. In some cases, δ can
be approximately zero, i.e., the number of oxygen-site vacancies
or surpluses is effectively zero. The material can in some cases
have the formula AByB′1-yO3 (i.e., when x is 1 and δ is 0);
AxA′1-xBO3 (i.e., when y is 1 and δ is 0); or ABO3 (i.e., when x
is 1, y is 1 and δ is 0).
[0054] Rare earth metals include Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm,
Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, or Lu. Alkaline earth metals
include Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra. Alkali metals include Li,
Na, K, Rb, and Cs. Transition metals include Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn,
Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf,
Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, or Hg. Particularly useful alkaline
earth metals can include Ca, Sr, and Ba. Particularly useful
transition metals can include first-row transition metals, for
example, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu. Representative materials of
formula (I) include calcium titanate (CaTiO3), barium titanate
(BaTiO3), strontium titanate (SrTiO3), barium ferrite (BaFeO3),
KTaO3, NaNbO3, PbTiO3, LaMnO3, SrZrO3, SrHfO3, SrSnO3, SrFeO3,
BaZrO3, BaHfO3, KNbO3, BaSnO3, EuTiO3, RbTaO3, GdFeO3, PbHfO3,
LaCrO3, PbZrO3, or LiNbO3.
[0055] In making the biotemplated nanomaterial, in general, a
biotemplate solution (typically, an aqueous solution) is
combined with inorganic precursors of a desired material. The
inorganic precursors can be metal ion sources compatible with an
aqueous solution, for example, salts of A, A′, B, and B′ atoms.
Metal ion salts can be combined into a precursor composition,
for example a solution including each of the metal ions to be
included in the desired material, and the precursor composition
then combined with the biotemplate solution. The precursors and
biotemplate are then allowed to react for a period of time at a
desired temperature and at a desired pH. A further incubation
(e.g., at a different temperature) can also be performed. The
product of this reaction can then be calcined, i.e., heated at a
temperature in the range of 100-800° C. for a period of time.
Calcination can reduce or remove organic material (e.g., the
biotemplate) from the inorganic nanomaterial.
EXAMPLES
Synthesis of Peroskite Nanomaterials Using M13 Virus
Experimental
[0056] Strontium chloride (SrCl2.6H2O), titanium chloride
(TiCl4), bismuth nitrate (Bi(NO3)3.5H2O), iron nitrate
(Fe(NO3)3.9H2O) and ethylene glycol (EG) were purchased from
Sigma Aldrich. Deionized water (DI water) was used to prepare
all solutions.
[0057] To prepare strontium titanium ethylene glycolate
(SrTi(EG)) precursor, equal molar ratio of SrCl2 and TiCl4 were
dissolved into ethylene glycol under continuous stiffing. To
prepare bismuth iron ethylene glycolate (BiFe(EG)) precursor,
equal molar ratio of Bi(NO3)3 and Fe(NO3)3 were dissolved into
ethylene glycol under continuous stiffing. STO nanowires were
synthesized by addition of SrTi(EG) precursor into virus
solution. In a typical synthesis, 0.1 ml of the precursors were
mixed with 10 ml of 10<12 >pfu (plaque forming units or
number of virus particles) of virus solution at neutral pH, and
then sodium hydroxide was further added to the solution and
heated at 80° C. for 4 hours. In a typical synthesis of BFO, 0.1
ml of the BiFe(EG) precursor was added to 10 ml of 10<12
>pfu of virus solution. The solution was incubated for at
least one day. Then the reactant of BiFe(EG)-incubated virus was
heated at 600° C. for one hour.
[0058] Hydrogen evolution test: Photodeposition method was
applied to reduce platinum ions on the surface of STO nanowires
using UV-lamp. 0.5 wt % of chloroplatic acid was added to STO
dispersed ethanol solution. Then the mixture was exposed to
UV-lamp (100 watts) under stiffing condition. 1) Under UV light:
0.05 g of STO nanowires co-deposited with platinum nanoparticles
(0.5 wt %) was added to 60 ml of the mixture of methanol and
water (volume ratio 1:1.4). 2) Under visible light: 0.06 g of
STO nanowires co-deposited with platinum nanoparticles (0.5 wt
%) was added to 30 ml of 15% diethanol amine aqueous solution
containing 0.5 mM Eosin Y. Then, the solution was purged with
argon for at least 30 minutes. Before irradiation, gas
chromatography (Agilent, 7890A, TCD, Ar carrier) was utilized to
confirm the absence of oxygen and hydrogen gas in the head
space. At each injection, 250 ml of gas was tested after
irradiation with varied time using mercury lamp (100 watts). For
visible light irradiation, a UV cut-off filter was used to block
wavelengths shorter than 400 nm.
[0059] Photovoltaic performance: thin film of BFO nanoparticles
(10 mm thick) was constructed by doctor-blading technique. The
counter-electrode was 100-nm-thick platinum, sputtered on an ITO
substrate (Delta Technologies). The electrolyte was a solution
of 0.6 M 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide (Sigma Aldrich),
0.03 M I2 (Sigma Aldrich), 0.10 M guanidinium thiocyanate (Sigma
Aldrich) and 0.5 M 4-tert-butyl pyridine (Sigma Aldrich) in a
mixture of acetonitrile and valeronitrile (volume ratio, 85:15).
I-V curves of the films were measured under dark and light
illumination with an AM1.5 light source (100 mW cm<2>).
Results and
Discussion
[0060] In the biotemplated synthesis of STO nanowires, virus
solution was first incubated with strontium titanium ethylene
glycolate (SrTi(EG)) precursors. The interaction between viruses
and precursors was demonstrated by using transmission electron
microscopy (TEM) (FIG. 2A) which shows staining of the virus
with electron dense metal cations. Then the pH of the solution
was changed to pH 10 and the temperature was raised to 80° C.,
allowing for the hydrolysis and condensation of STO nanowires on
the virus. The virus-templated STO nanowires were characterized
by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)
(FIG. 2B-2D). Each STO nanoparticle was only around 5 nm in
diameter and with cubic crystalline structure. High negative
charge density provided by carboxylate ions on the surface of
virus favors the formation of small nanoparticles. The highly
crystalline structure was also confirmed by X-ray diffraction
(XRD) (FIG. 2E).
[0061] Biotemplated synthesis of STO was optimized in terms of
temperature, concentration of the precursors, and pH. At low
temperatures (50° C. and 60° C.), no crystalline structure was
found. The cubic crystalline structure of STO was formed at 80°
C., which is the critical temperature to both accelerate the
condensation and start STO nanocrystal nucleation and growth.
The concentration of SrTi(EG) precursor for successful nanowire
formation was between 0.1 mM and 1 mM. When the concentration of
precursor was higher than 1 mM, homogeneous nucleation occurred
and out-competed the virus-templating. The effect of the pH was
also investigated. The zeta-potential of virus showed that the
pI (isoelectric point) of AEEE virus was around 4 (FIG. 3). At
pH lower than 4 the surface of the virus was positively charged,
when incubated with SrTiEG precursors no stained viruses were
formed indicating that there was no interaction between viruses
and precursors. At pH higher than 4, the electrostatic
interaction between viruses and precursors was demonstrated by
increased electron density visualized on the viruses. However,
at pH 5 ̃7, due to the low hydrolysis reaction rate, both STO
and strontium carbonate were observed with or without addition
of oxidants (hydrogen peroxide) (FIGS. 4-5). At pH 10, the
virus-templated nanowires showed only the perovskite structured
STO. As the control experiments, we examined the growth of STO
using non-genetically modified M13 virus (wildtype) and also
performed the reactions without the addition of the virus. FIGS.
7 and 8 clearly show discrete nanoparticles grown on wild type
virus, which are different from AEEE virus templated STO. Wild
type virus contains fewer carboxyl groups and is less effective
at nucleating STO, resulting in nanoparticles that are larger
than those prepared on genetically modified virus template
(AEEE). On the other hand, in the absence of the virus (FIGS. 9
and 10), nanoparticles are polydisperse and do not show
wire-like assembly. Compared with several studies that showed
the carboxyl groups act as the reaction sites for mineralization
of perovskite materials using the ethylene glycol precursors,
the results demonstrated that the AEEE-genetically modified
virus, rich in carboxyl groups, serves as an ideal template for
the formation of nanowires of perovskite materials.
[0062] To synthesize BFO nanoparticles, the virus solution was
incubated with bismuth iron ethylene glycolate (BiFe(EG))
precursor. The interaction between viruses and precursors was
demonstrated by TEM (FIG. 12A). Then the BiFe(EG)-incubated
virus was heated at 600° C. allowing formation of BFO
nanoparticles. HRTEM (FIG. 12C) and XRD (FIG. 12D) confirmed the
formation of R3c crystalline structure of BFO (JCPDS no.
86-1518). The resulting virus-templated nanoparticles were
between 10 and 30 nm in diameter (as measured by both TEM and
XRD) which is a difficult size to obtain by conventional
methods. The magnetic properties of BFO nanoparticles were
characterized using superconducting quantum interference device
(SQUID) (FIG. 11). The saturation magnetic moment (Ms) at 300K
was 0.877 emu g<−1 >at 30,000 Oe. The nanoparticles showed
coercivity at 5K, with a coercive field of ±1,500 Oe.
[0063] Biotemplated synthesis of STO and BFO nanomaterials in
aqueous solutions provides small particle size, different
morphologies, and high crystallinity. This biotemplate technique
is distinguished from conventional methods for synthesizing
perovskite nanomaterials, such as sol-gel, coprecipitation,
hydrothermal, and surfactant-assisted synthesis, most of which
involve the use of alkoxide precursors in organic solvents and
do not adequately control the size and morphology. The
nanoparticles synthesized by these previous methods are
amorphous, or their surfaces are passivated by surfactants. In
order to make highly crystalline materials, older methods
applied calcination at high temperatures, sometimes resulting in
an increase of particle size, thus a decrease in catalytic
activity.
[0064] Recently the photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance
of STO and BFO have been investigated. Single crystal STO is a
wide-bandgap photocatalyst for producing hydrogen with a high
conduction band level and good chemical stability. To
investigate photocatalytic water reduction of biotemplated STO
nanowires, the hydrogen evolution experiments were conducted
using methanol as a hole scavenger and Pt nanoparticles as a
co-catalyst. After STO absorbed UV light, the excited electrons
in the conduction band of STO reduced hydrogen ions to produce
hydrogen gas at the Pt particle active sites, while the holes on
the valence band of STO were recovered by methanol. The amount
of evolved hydrogen was measured by gas chromatography (GC) at
several time points (FIG. 13B). The hydrogen evolution rate of
STO nanowire was 370 mmol g<−1 >hour<−1>, which is
around ten times higher than that of titania (Degussa, P-25),
and commercial STO nanopowders (Wako Pure Chemical Industries,
Ltd.) (37 and 46 mmol g<−1 >hour<−1>, respectively).
The improved performance of virus-templated STO nanoparticles
was believed to arise from the smaller particle size, providing
a larger surface to volume ratio, and the high crystallinity,
preventing charge recombination at lattice defect sites. To
produce hydrogen under visible light irradiation, Eosin Y dye
was used to sensitize STO nanowires loaded with Pt nanoparticles
(FIG. 13A). The photo-electrons were excited to the lowest
unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the dye and then transfer
to the conduction band of STO. Hydrogen was produced at the Pt
particle active sites. Diethanolamine is used to regenerate the
electron deficient dye.
[0065] BFO is a highly sought-after material for photovoltaic
applications. Most perovskite materials primarily absorb UV
light, harvesting solar energy inefficiently. In contrast, BFO
has attracted increasing attention due to a direct band gap
corresponding to visible light. The photovoltaic properties of
single crystal and thin film BFO have been observed. However,
the photovoltaic effect of BFO nanoparticles has not been
investigated. The absorption spectrum of virus-templated BFO
nanoparticles showed a broad feature with peak around 550 nm
(FIG. 6), absorbing visible light effectively. Photovoltaic
properties of virus-templated BFO nanoparticles were
characterized by fabricating liquid junction solar cells (FIG.
14A). Under illumination of an AM1.5 solar simulator at 100 mW
cm<−2>, an open circuit voltage of 0.578 V and a short
circuit current density of 0.735 mA cm<−2 >were observed
(FIG. 14B), achieving solar power conversion efficiency of 0.17%
(the fill factor of the device was 0.40). The BFO-liquid
junction photovoltaic device is the first report of BFO
nanoparticles based solid-liquid junction PV devices.
[0066] In summary, biotemplates provide a general approach to
synthesize perovskite nanomaterials in an aqueous system; a
genetically engineered M13 virus can be useful as the
biotemplate. STO and BFO nanoparticles were successfully
templated, achieving small particle size and high crystallinity,
and demonstrating photocatalytic and photovoltaic properties.
Post-Treatment of Perovskite Nanomaterials for Solar Active
Photocatalysts
Ammonia (NH3) Gas Treatment for STO
[0067] In addition to using dye as a mediator of visible light
absorption, the following technique to fabricate photoactive
catalysts was used. STO particles are doped by nitrogen content
at the surface by treating with NH3 under various high
temperatures in between 500° C.-1000° C. Hence, the valence band
position shifts upward and decreases the band gap.
[0068] FIG. 15 shows the assembly of post-treatment of
nanomaterials in the furnace through ammonia gas flow. For the
post-treatment, the nanoparticle powders, which are synthesized
by virus template, are placed inside of crucible. Then the
crucible are inserted and placed in the middle of quartz long
tube. The two ends of the quartz tube are connected into a gas
line. One end connects to a gas inlet, and the other end
connects to an outlet which is immersed into a container
including saturated sodium bicarbonate or other buffer
solutions. The inlet line connects to gas flow meter which is
used to control the gas flow. In this procedure, before rising
temperature, the furnace containing quartz tube is flowed by
ammonia gas at the rate of 50 ml/min for one hour. Then the
temperature is programmed to gradually rise to a desirable
temperature with a rate of 5° C./min while rise the gas flow
rate to 200 ml/min. During the treatment, the powder is kept for
at least four hours with the ammonia gas flow rate of 200
ml/min. In the cooling step, the same flow rate should be
maintained until reaching the room temperature.
[0069] Because at various temperatures the doped nitrogen
concentrations are different, the colors of processed STO are
varied from light yellow to dark green (FIG. 16).
[0070] STO particles without the treatment of NH3 and the
treatment of NH3 at 700° C. are compared in XRD. The result
indicates no phase transformation and simple cubic structure is
preserved when the sample is treated at the high temperature
(FIG. 17B). XPS is conducted to examine the surface composition.
We detect the presence of nitrogen content (FIG. 3-a highlighted
by green box). Hence, we believe the effect of nitrogen doping
will facilitate the hydrogen evolution in the visible light
absorption experiment.
[0071] Compared to literatures, the commercial photocatalyst
have reached the best results of 28.7 μmol/g/hr, which is lower
than our best result of 43.4 μmol/g/hr. Although this result
stays behind the option of using dye, in the non-optimized
system we have seen the promising result by adjusting
temperatures. Shown as FIG. 18, at temperature of 650° C., the
hydrogen evolution is superior to other temperature conditions.
The doping with proper amount of nitrogen content could shrink
the band gap and increase the photocatalytic effect. However,
too much doping at higher temperature could lead to the surface
morphology change and lead to the decreasing effect of
photocatalytic reaction shown by other temperature conditions.
Ammonia (NH3) Gas Treatment for Tantalum Materials
[0072] Similar ammonia treatment technique can be applied to
various tantalum perovskite nanomaterials, including NaTaO3,
ZrO—TaON, Zr—TaON, TaON, Ta3N5, and Zr—Ta3N5. Several
virus-template tantalum perovskite materials have been
synthesized to demonstrate the feasibilities of nitrogen doping
shown in FIG. 19. Different colors are displayed on the samples
because of the different chemical compositions.
[0073] Tantalum nanomaterials show excellent performances of
making more hydrogen rapidly. Among various tantalum materials,
TaON is a better hydrogen-producing material than others and STO
as shown in FIG. 20. The hydrogen evolving reaction occurs in
the system of tantalum photocatalytic materials irradiated under
visible light in water and ruthenium dye.
[0074] XRD tests have been conducted to confirm different
crystallinities of Ta3N5 and TaON. The band gaps of both
materials are different and lead to the distinct absorption
spectrum shown in FIG. 21.
[0000] In summary, Ammonia post-treatment technique was
developed for fabrication of visible-light active perovskite
nanomaterials. As a solar active photocatalyst, strontium
titanate nanoparticles after ammonia treatment produced hydrogen
gas under the visible-light irradiation. As a solar active
photocatalyst, tantalum nanoparticles after ammonia treatment
produced hydrogen gas under the visible-light irradiation. XRD
results proved that strontium titanate possesses perovskite
structure after ammonia treatment. XPS results indicated the
existence of nitrogen doping in perovskite strontium titanate.
There are possible applications for converting carbon dioxide
into fuels under solar irradiation.
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