The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 10, 2012
Filed:
Aug. 25, 2009
Dunwei Wang, Newton Highlands, MA (US);
Yongjing Lin, Chestnut Hill, MA (US);
Dunwei Wang, Newton Highlands, MA (US);
Yongjing Lin, Chestnut Hill, MA (US);
The Trustees of Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA (US);
Abstract
The embodiments disclosed herein relate to hetero-nanostructures for efficient solar energy conversions, and more particularly to the fabrication of titanium dioxide hetero-nanostructures and methods of using same for water splitting. In an embodiment, a hetero-nanostructure includes a plurality of connected and spaced-apart nanobeams linked together at an about 90-degree angle, the plurality of nanobeams including a conductive silicide core having an n-type photoactive titanium dioxide shell. In an embodiment, a device for splitting water to generate hydrogen and oxygen includes a first compartment two-dimensional hetero-nanostructure having a plurality of connected and spaced-apart nanobeams, each nanobeam substantially perpendicular to another nanobeam, the plurality of nanobeams including an n-type photoactive titanium dioxide shell having a highly conductive core; and a second compartment copper-doped titanium dioxide nanostructure, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment are separated by a semi-permeable membrane.