One approach towards the collection and storage of solar energy as chemical potential involves the photosensitised dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen which is the subject of this thesis. Many of the photochemical systems developed so far for the oxidation and/or reduction of water are outlined in Chapter 1, with particular emphasis on the more recently developed photosystems which employ a dye as sensitiser. Most of the experimental techniques used are described in the second chapter. Chapter 3 focuses upon a single dye, Rose Bengal, and its role in a sacrificial system containing EDTA, methyl viologen and a H<SUB>2</SUB>-catalyst for the photoproduction of hydrogen from water. The performance of other Xanthene dyes in an identical photosystem is described in Chapter 4. The design of a novel light-harvesting system coupling Rose Bengal as sensitiser to a 'reaction centre' consisting of anthracene-9-carboxylate, EDTA and methyl viologen for the photoreduction of water is described in the following chapter. Chapter 6 outlines the development of a flow-system containing an oxygen Membrane Polarographic Detector (O<SUB>2</SUB>-MPD) for studying oxygen evolving reactions. In Chapter 7, the flow-system developed in the previous chapter is subsequently used to study the catalytic properties of the various forms of ruthenium dioxide hydrate towards the oxidation of water, leading to the development of a stable reproducible catalyst. The significance of these results to solar energy conversion is discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:637859 |
| Date | January 1987 |
| Creators | Lawrence, C. |
| Publisher | Swansea University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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