We focus on a novel concept of photosynthetic soft membranes, possibly able to allow the conversion of solar energy and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) into green fuels. The considered membranes rely on self-assembled functional molecules in the form of soap films. We elaborate a multi-scale and multi-physics model to describe the relevant phenomena, investigating the expected performance of a single soft photosynthetic membrane. First, we present a macroscale continuum model, which accounts for the transport of gaseous and ionic species within the soap film, the chemical equilibria and the two involved photocatalytic half reactions of the CO2 reduction and water oxidation at the two gas–surfactant–water interfaces of the soap film. Second, we introduce a mesoscale discrete Monte Carlo model, to deepen the investigation of the structure of the functional monolayers. Finally, the morphological information obtained at the mesoscale is integrated into the continuum model in a multi-scale framework. The developed tools are then used to perform sensitivity studies in a wide range of possible experimental conditions, to provide scenarios on fuel production by such a novel approach.

A novel concept of photosynthetic soft membranes: a numerical study / Falciani, Gabriele; Bergamasco, Luca; Bonke, Shannon A.; Sen, Indraneel; Chiavazzo, Eliodoro. - In: NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS. - ISSN 1556-276X. - ELETTRONICO. - 18:9(2023), pp. 1-15. [10.1186/s11671-023-03772-1]

A novel concept of photosynthetic soft membranes: a numerical study

Gabriele Falciani;Luca Bergamasco;Indraneel Sen;Eliodoro Chiavazzo
2023

Abstract

We focus on a novel concept of photosynthetic soft membranes, possibly able to allow the conversion of solar energy and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) into green fuels. The considered membranes rely on self-assembled functional molecules in the form of soap films. We elaborate a multi-scale and multi-physics model to describe the relevant phenomena, investigating the expected performance of a single soft photosynthetic membrane. First, we present a macroscale continuum model, which accounts for the transport of gaseous and ionic species within the soap film, the chemical equilibria and the two involved photocatalytic half reactions of the CO2 reduction and water oxidation at the two gas–surfactant–water interfaces of the soap film. Second, we introduce a mesoscale discrete Monte Carlo model, to deepen the investigation of the structure of the functional monolayers. Finally, the morphological information obtained at the mesoscale is integrated into the continuum model in a multi-scale framework. The developed tools are then used to perform sensitivity studies in a wide range of possible experimental conditions, to provide scenarios on fuel production by such a novel approach.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2975968