A room temperature catalytic power generation device and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a room-temperature catalytic power generation device and a preparation method thereof. The room-temperature catalytic power generation device comprises a power generation cavity, in which a plurality of reaction units are arranged, and the plurality of reaction units are connected in series through wires; wherein each reaction unit comprises a bottom electrode, a substrate, a catalyst layer and a top electrode which are stacked in sequence, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode on the substrate is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer on the substrate; when a mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer, an electric current is formed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode; when a mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer, the room-temperature catalytic power generation device prepared by the present invention can form an electric current between the top electrode and the bottom electrode without a proton exchange membrane, thereby further reducing the production cost of the room-temperature catalytic power generation device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular to a room temperature catalytic power generation device and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is a new type of environmentally friendly energy device that directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy. It converts the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy through an oxidation-reduction reaction, while generating heat and water. No noise or pollution is generated in this process. Currently, fuel cells use hydrogen, methanol, natural gas, etc. as fuel. The power generation device that uses methanol as fuel is mainly a methanol fuel cell.

[0003] Direct methanol fuel cells are a type of proton exchange membrane fuel cell that uses methanol as a fuel for power generation. Its main advantages are portability, high energy density, remaining liquid in all environments, and not requiring a complex vaporization reaction to produce hydrogen. Direct methanol fuel cells have been widely used in the fields of portable power sources and new energy vehicles. However, due to the high cost of manufacturing the proton membrane and its limited service life, this technology still faces great challenges in reducing costs for large-scale civilian use. In addition, the fact that fuel cells require a mixture of methanol and water also limits further improvements in their efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a room temperature catalytic power generation device and a preparation method thereof to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a room temperature catalytic power generation device and a preparation method thereof, so as to improve the technical problem of the high total production cost of direct methanol fuel cells in the prior art.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a room temperature catalytic power generation device, comprising a power generation cavity, in which a plurality of reaction units are arranged, and the plurality of reaction units are connected in series through wires;

[0007] Among them, each reaction unit includes a bottom electrode, a substrate, a catalyst layer and a top electrode which are stacked in sequence, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode on the substrate is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer on the substrate; when the mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer, a current is formed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode.

[0008] Preferably, the substrate is Si, Ge, GaAs, ZnO, TiO 2 , GaN and SiC.

[0009] Preferably, the catalytic layer is a metal material, and the thickness of the catalytic layer is less than the mean free path of excited electrons in the metal material.

[0010] Preferably, the catalytic layer is Pt, and the thickness of the catalytic layer is less than 10 nm.

[0011] Preferably, the material of the bottom electrode and the top electrode is at least one of Cr, Al, Ti, Au, Ni, Pt, Rh and Ag.

[0012] Preferably, the thickness of the substrate is 100-200 nm, and the thickness of the bottom electrode or the top electrode is 20-50 nm.

[0013] Preferably, the room temperature catalytic power generation device further comprises a gas mixing chamber, the gas mixing chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet is used to let in air, and the air outlet is connected to the power generation cavity;

[0014] Among them, a plurality of mixing chambers are arranged in the gas mixing chamber, and each mixing chamber is loaded with a methanol solution; the bottom of each mixing chamber is connected to the air inlet, and the top of each mixing chamber is connected to the air outlet.

[0015] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for preparing the room temperature catalytic power generation device as above, the method comprising:

[0016] S10, forming a bottom electrode on the substrate, and sequentially forming a catalyst layer and a top electrode on a surface of the substrate away from the bottom electrode, to finally obtain a reaction unit, wherein the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode on the substrate is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer on the substrate;

[0017] S20, connecting a plurality of reaction units in series to obtain a reactor, and transferring the reactor into a power generation cavity;

[0018] S30, a mixed gas formed by methanol and air is introduced into the surface of the catalyst layer to form a current between the top electrode and the bottom electrode.

[0019] Preferably, before performing step S10, the method further includes: pre-treating the substrate, wherein the pre-treating includes any one of chemical corrosion treatment, ion implantation treatment, in-situ etching treatment, seed layer growth treatment, heating calcination treatment and annealing treatment.

[0020] Preferably, in step S10, the method of sequentially forming the catalyst layer on the surface of the substrate away from the bottom electrode comprises any one of magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy and electrochemical deposition.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Different from the prior art, the present invention provides a room-temperature catalytic power generation device and a preparation method thereof, wherein the room-temperature catalytic power generation device comprises a power generation cavity, wherein a plurality of reaction units are arranged in the power generation cavity, and the plurality of reaction units are connected in series through wires; wherein each reaction unit comprises a bottom electrode, a substrate, a catalyst layer and a top electrode which are stacked in sequence, and the positive projection area of ​​the top electrode on the substrate is smaller than the positive projection area of ​​the catalyst layer on the substrate; when a mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer, a current is formed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode; the present invention prepares a reaction unit having a bottom electrode, a substrate, a catalyst layer and a top electrode, and when a mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer, due to an oxidation-reduction reaction between methanol and air under the action of the catalyst layer, the energy generated by the reaction is transferred to part of the electrons in the catalyst layer, and the electrons are excited to pass through the catalyst layer, and a current is formed across the interface between the catalyst layer and the substrate, thereby forming a current between the top electrode and the bottom electrode without the need for a proton exchange membrane, further reducing the manufacturing cost of the room-temperature catalytic power generation device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a reaction unit in a room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a gas mixing chamber in a room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of catalytic power generation by methanol on the surface of the catalytic layer in the room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 The present invention is a flow chart of a method for preparing a room temperature catalytic power generation device.

[0026] In the figure: 10 - reaction unit; 11 - substrate; 12 - bottom electrode; 13 - catalyst layer; 14 - top electrode; 20 - gas mixing chamber; 21 - air inlet; 22 - air outlet; 23 - mixing chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] In view of the technical problem of the high total manufacturing cost of direct methanol fuel cells in the prior art, the room temperature catalytic power generation device and the preparation method thereof provided by the present invention can solve the above technical problem.

[0029] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a reaction unit 10 in a room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention; wherein the present invention provides a room temperature catalytic power generation device, comprising a power generation cavity, in which a plurality of reaction units 10 are arranged, and the plurality of reaction units 10 are connected in series through wires;

[0030] Among them, each reaction unit 10 includes a bottom electrode 12, a substrate 11, a catalyst layer 13 and a top electrode 14 which are stacked in sequence, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode 14 on the substrate 11 is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer 13 on the substrate 11; when the mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer 13, a current is formed between the top electrode 14 and the bottom electrode 12.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present invention, different materials of the substrate 11 will affect the power generation performance of the room temperature catalytic power generation device.

[0032] In one embodiment, the substrate 11 may be made of a semiconductor material, such as Si, Ge, GaAs, ZnO, TiO 2 , GaN and SiC; the band structure, carrier mobility, etc. of the above-mentioned substrate 11 materials are different, which will affect the transmission of electrons in the substrate 11, and then affect the power generation performance of the device.

[0033] In another embodiment, the semiconductor material can be doped to change the properties of the semiconductor, and Si, Fe, Zr, etc. can be doped, but it is not limited to this method; wherein, the doping of the substrate 11 material can change its conductivity and band structure. Appropriate doping concentration and type can optimize the performance of the device.

[0034] In another embodiment, during the process of selecting the substrate 11 of semiconductor material, the substrate 11 can be processed, and the processing methods can be corrosion, ion implantation, in-situ etching and growing a seed layer. But it is not limited to these methods; Among them, corrosion can remove the damaged layer, impurities or defects on the surface of the substrate 11, making the surface flatter and smoother; ion implantation is to inject an ion beam with a certain energy into the substrate 11 material, so that the ions are embedded in the lattice structure of the substrate 11, thereby changing the electrical, optical and physical properties of the substrate 11; in-situ etching refers to the process of directly etching the substrate 11 at the original position of the substrate 11, and in-situ etching can selectively remove the bad parts of the surface of the substrate 11 and improve the surface quality; the seed layer can improve the quality of crystal growth on the first aspect, improve the bonding force between the subsequent deposition layer and the substrate 11 on the second aspect, and guide the subsequent growth of the crystal to grow in a specific direction on the third aspect, thereby realizing the regulation of material properties.

[0035] Furthermore, in the process of preparing semiconductor materials, there are many preparation methods, such as sol-gel method, hydrolysis precipitation method, magnetron sputtering method, vacuum evaporation method, electron beam evaporation method, self-assembly method, phase deposition method, etc., but not limited to these methods.

[0036] Furthermore, the thickness of the substrate 11 is 100-200 nm, and the process of self-assembly forming the substrate 11 has a certain degree of controllability, and the thickness of the film can be controlled. However, it is not limited to these conditions.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present invention, the catalyst layer 13 is a metal material, and the thickness of the catalyst layer 13 is less than the mean free path of excited electrons in the metal material; wherein the mean free path refers to the average distance that electrons can move freely in the material without being affected by scattering. When the thickness of the catalyst layer 13 is less than the mean free path:

[0038] First, improve the efficiency of electron transmission: reduce the energy lost by electrons due to scattering during transmission, so that electrons can move more efficiently, thereby improving the efficiency of catalytic reactions and the power generation performance of devices.

[0039] Second, optimizing the catalytic performance: it helps to improve the adsorption and activation capabilities of the catalytic layer 13 for reactants and promote the progress of chemical reactions.

[0040] Preferably, the catalytic layer 13 is Pt, and the thickness of the catalytic layer 13 is less than 10 nm; wherein, if Pt is used as the material of the catalytic layer 13 and its thickness is less than the mean free path of excited electrons in Pt, it can more effectively promote charge transfer and improve the power generation effect in the catalytic reaction of methanol and air.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present invention, the method for preparing the catalyst layer 13 may be magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, or electrochemical deposition, but is not limited to these methods.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the bottom electrode 12 and the top electrode 14 is at least one of Cr, Al, Ti, Au, Ni, Pt, Rh and Ag; the thickness of the bottom electrode 12 or the top electrode 14 is 20-50 nm.

[0043] Furthermore, the bottom electrode 12 of the nth reaction unit 10 is connected to the top electrode 14 of the n-1th reaction unit 10 through a wire, and the top electrode 14 of the nth reaction unit 10 is connected to the top electrode 14 of the n+1th reaction unit 10 through a wire, so that multiple reaction units 10 are connected in series through wires, and n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0044] See also Figure 2 , Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gas mixing chamber 20 in the room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention; wherein the room temperature catalytic power generation device further comprises a gas mixing chamber 20, the gas mixing chamber 20 has an air inlet 21 and an air outlet 22, the air inlet 21 is used to let in air, and the air outlet 22 is connected to the power generation cavity;

[0045] The gas mixing chamber 20 is provided with a plurality of mixing chambers 23 , each mixing chamber 23 is loaded with a methanol solution; the bottom of each mixing chamber 23 is connected to the air inlet 21 , and the top of each mixing chamber 23 is connected to the air outlet 22 .

[0046] Specifically, the presence of the gas mixing chamber 20 allows air and methanol to be fully mixed, thereby providing uniform and stable reaction gas for the subsequent catalytic reaction in the power generation cavity. The provision of multiple mixing chambers 23 increases the contact area and mixing path of air and methanol solution, which helps to improve the uniformity of mixing.

[0047] Specifically, air is introduced into the air inlet 21, and the air enters from the bottom of each mixing chamber 23. During the upward flow, the air is fully contacted and mixed with the methanol solution loaded in the chamber. The mixed gas converges from the top of each mixing chamber 23 to the air outlet 22, and then the vacuum pump passes the mixed gas into the power generation chamber for catalytic reaction to generate current. This design can ensure that the gas mixture entering the power generation chamber has a relatively consistent composition and concentration distribution, which is conducive to improving power generation efficiency and stability. For example, if the methanol solution in a mixing chamber 23 is consumed more, other mixing chambers 23 can still provide a relatively uniform mixed gas, thereby reducing the fluctuation of power generation performance caused by local gas composition differences.

[0048] Furthermore, the room temperature catalytic power generation device is also provided with a fuel chamber, in which a large amount of methanol solution is stored, and the fuel chamber is connected to the mixing chamber 23 in the gas mixing chamber 20 through a pipeline; when the methanol solution in the mixing chamber 23 is insufficient due to a large amount of methanol solution being passed into the power generation chamber, the switch of the fuel chamber is turned on to replenish the methanol solution in the mixing chamber 23 in time.

[0049] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the catalytic power generation of methanol on the surface of the catalytic layer 13 in the room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention; wherein, Figure 3 Middle: E c E stands for conduction band minimum, which is the lowest energy that an electron in the conduction band can have; vIt stands for the valence band maximum, which is the highest energy that electrons in the valence band can have. Ef stands for the Fermi level, which reflects the distribution of electrons in different energy states. In semiconductors, the position of the Fermi level depends on factors such as the doping of the material and temperature. Φ is the Schottky barrier. In the Schottky barrier formed by metal-semiconductor, when metal and semiconductor come into contact, due to their different Fermi levels, electrons will be transferred, thus forming a barrier.

[0050] Assuming that the Fermi level of the metal is higher than that of the semiconductor, electrons will transfer from the semiconductor to the metal until the Fermi levels of the two reach equilibrium, at which point a space charge region, or Schottky barrier, is formed on the semiconductor side. In this region, the energy band bends, and the positions of the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valence band change relative to their original positions.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present invention, the catalytic power generation process is as follows:

[0052] When the methanol liquid is mixed with the pressurized air in the mixing chamber 23, the methanol liquid is very volatile. When it is volatilized into gas, it is fully mixed with the air in the mixing chamber 23. The two gases pass through the surface of the metal Pt. Since the methanol and the air undergo an oxidation-reduction reaction under the action of the metal Pt catalyst, the energy is transferred to some electrons in the metal Pt. The electrons are excited to pass through the metal Pt and cross the interface between the metal and the semiconductor (i.e., the Schottky barrier) to form a current. The reaction equation is as follows: 2CH 3 OH+3O 2 =2CO 2 +4H 2 O.

[0053] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 The flowchart of the method for preparing the room temperature catalytic power generation device provided by the present invention is as follows; wherein the method for preparing the room temperature catalytic power generation device comprises:

[0054] S10, forming a bottom electrode 12 on a substrate 11, and sequentially forming a catalyst layer 13 and a top electrode 14 on a surface of the substrate 11 away from the bottom electrode 12, and finally obtaining a reaction unit 10, wherein the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode 14 on the substrate 11 is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer 13 on the substrate 11;

[0055] S20, connecting a plurality of reaction units 10 in series to obtain a reactor, and transferring the reactor into a power generation cavity;

[0056] S30, a mixed gas formed by methanol and air is introduced into the surface of the catalyst layer 13, so that a current is formed between the top electrode 14 and the bottom electrode 12.

[0057] Preferably, before performing step S10, the process further includes: pre-treating the substrate 11, wherein the pre-treating includes any one of chemical corrosion treatment, ion implantation treatment, in-situ etching treatment, growth seed layer treatment, heating calcination treatment and annealing treatment; wherein the chemical corrosion treatment can remove impurities or uneven parts on the surface of the substrate 11. The ion implantation treatment can accurately change the electrical properties of the substrate 11. The in-situ etching treatment helps to manufacture a specific microstructure. The growth seed layer treatment provides a good starting condition for subsequent deposition. The heating calcination treatment can remove organic matter or moisture in the substrate 11 and improve its physical and chemical properties. The annealing treatment can eliminate the internal stress in the substrate 11 and improve the crystal quality.

[0058] Preferably, in step S10, the method for sequentially forming the catalytic layer 13 on the surface of one side of the substrate 11 away from the bottom electrode 12 includes any one of magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy and electrochemical deposition; wherein, the magnetron sputtering method is to control the movement of charged particles by using a magnetic field in a vacuum environment, so that they hit the target material, sputter the target atoms and deposit them on the substrate 11 to form a thin film. The advantages of this method include high deposition rate, good uniformity and density of the film. The molecular beam epitaxy method is to spray the atoms or molecular beams constituting the thin film onto the surface of the substrate 11 in a certain direction under strictly controlled conditions under ultra-high vacuum conditions, and grow the thin film layer by layer. Its advantage is that it can achieve precise control at the atomic level and grow high-quality, low-defect films. The electrochemical deposition method is to apply an electric field in a solution containing metal ions to cause the metal ions to undergo a reduction reaction on the surface of the substrate 11 and deposit to form a thin film. This method has the advantages of simple equipment, low cost, and easy operation.

[0059] The technical solution of the present application is now described in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0060] Embodiment 1:

[0061] This embodiment 1 provides a method for preparing a room temperature catalytic power generation device, and the method specifically comprises:

[0062] Step 1, preparation of substrate 11: providing an N-type silicon substrate with a thickness of 100 nm, and cleaning the N-type silicon substrate. The cleaning process is as follows: (1) acetone ultrasonic treatment for 10 min; (2) ultrapure water washing and ultrasonic treatment for 10 min; (3) drying with high-purity nitrogen gas; (3) baking in an oven at 800° C. for 15 min.

[0063] Step 2, preparation of the reaction unit 10: (1) forming a bottom electrode 12 on the back side of the N-type silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering, the bottom electrode 12 is Ti and has a thickness of 20 nm; (2) forming a catalyst layer 13 on the front side of the N-type silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering, the catalyst layer 13 is Pt and has a thickness of 5 nm; (3) forming a top electrode 14 on the catalyst layer 13 by magnetron sputtering, the top electrode 14 is Ti and has a thickness of 20 nm, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode 14 on the substrate 11 is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer 13 on the substrate 11.

[0064] Step 3, preparation of a reactor: (1) Connect multiple reaction units 10 in series through wires, wherein the bottom electrode 12 of the nth reaction unit 10 is connected to the top electrode 14 of the n-1th reaction unit 10 through a wire, and the top electrode 14 of the nth reaction unit 10 is connected to the top electrode 14 of the n+1th reaction unit 10 through a wire, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. (2) Transfer the reactor into a power generation chamber, which is connected to the gas outlet 22 of the gas mixing chamber 20;

[0065] Step 4, passing methanol gas and air on the surface of the reactor: (1) Pressurized air is introduced into the air inlet 21 of the gas mixing chamber 20 to evaporate the methanol liquid into methanol gas, which is then fully mixed with the air in the mixing chamber 23 to obtain a mixed gas; (2) The mixed gas flows through the surface of the catalytic layer 13 of the multiple reaction units 10 through the air outlet 22. Since methanol and air undergo redox reaction under the action of the metal Pt catalyst, energy is transferred to some electrons in the metal Pt, and the electrons are excited to pass through the metal Pt and cross the interface between the metal and the semiconductor to form a current.

[0066] In existing traditional methanol fuel cells, the power generation efficiency is low due to the mixture of methanol and water. This is mainly due to:

[0067] 1) Methanol penetration: The mixed solution of methanol and water easily penetrates into the cathode through the electrolyte membrane. This not only leads to the waste of methanol fuel, but also induces a mixed potential at the cathode, reducing the open circuit voltage and output power of the battery.

[0068] 2) Mass transfer limitation: The viscosity of the mixed solution is relatively high, which affects the mass transfer process of methanol and reaction products in the electrode. The slower mass transfer rate limits the reaction and thus reduces the power generation efficiency.

[0069] 3) Water flooding: In some cases, excessive water may block the pores of the electrode, hinder the diffusion of gas and the transmission of reactants, and affect the reaction activity of the electrode and battery performance.

[0070] 4) Slow kinetics of methanol oxidation: The oxidation reaction of methanol itself is relatively complex and slow. Mixing with water may further affect the kinetics of the reaction, resulting in a decrease in the reaction rate.

[0071] 5) Competitive adsorption of water: Water may compete with methanol for adsorption active sites on the electrode surface, reducing the chance of methanol participating in the reaction and thereby reducing the power generation efficiency of the battery.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present invention, the mixed gas of methanol and air directly undergoes a catalytic reaction on the metal Pt surface, which can avoid the dependence of traditional methanol fuel cells on proton exchange membranes and reduce the low power generation efficiency caused by the mixing of methanol and water.

[0073] In summary, different from the prior art, the present invention provides a room temperature catalytic power generation device and a preparation method thereof, wherein the room temperature catalytic power generation device comprises a power generation cavity, wherein a plurality of reaction units 10 are arranged in the power generation cavity, and the plurality of reaction units 10 are connected in series through wires; wherein each reaction unit 10 comprises a bottom electrode 12, a substrate 11, a catalyst layer 13 and a top electrode 14 which are stacked in sequence, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode 14 on the substrate 11 is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer 13 on the substrate 11; when the mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer 13, the top electrode 14 and the bottom electrode 12 Current is formed between them; the present invention prepares a reaction unit 10 having a bottom electrode 12, a substrate 11, a catalyst layer 13 and a top electrode 14. When the mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer 13, due to the oxidation-reduction reaction of methanol and air under the action of the catalyst layer 13, the energy generated by the reaction is transferred to part of the electrons in the catalyst layer 13, and the electrons are excited to pass through the catalyst layer 13, crossing the interface between the catalyst layer 13 and the substrate 11 to form a current, thereby forming a current between the top electrode 14 and the bottom electrode 12 without the need for a proton exchange membrane, further reducing the production cost of the room temperature catalytic power generation device.

[0074] It should be noted that the above embodiments all belong to the same inventive concept, and the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For matters that are not described in detail in some embodiments, reference may be made to the description in other embodiments.

[0075] The above embodiments only express the implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. A room temperature catalytic power generation device, characterized in that: It comprises a power generation cavity, in which a plurality of reaction units are arranged, and the plurality of reaction units are connected in series through wires; Wherein, each of the reaction units includes a bottom electrode, a substrate, a catalyst layer and a top electrode which are stacked in sequence, the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode on the substrate is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer on the substrate; the catalyst layer is a metal material, and the thickness of the catalyst layer is smaller than the mean free path of excited electrons in the metal material; when the mixed gas formed by methanol and air passes through the surface of the catalyst layer, a current is formed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode.

2. The room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate is any one of Si, Ge, GaAs, ZnO, TiO2, GaN and SiC.

3. The room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The catalytic layer is Pt, and the thickness of the catalytic layer is less than 10 nm.

4. The room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the bottom electrode and the top electrode is at least one of Cr, Al, Ti, Au, Ni, Pt, Rh and Ag.

5. The room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the substrate is 100-200 nm, and the thickness of the bottom electrode or the top electrode is 20-50 nm.

6. The room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The room temperature catalytic power generation device further comprises a gas mixing chamber, wherein the gas mixing chamber has an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet is used to allow air to enter, and the air outlet is connected to the power generation cavity; Wherein, a plurality of mixing chambers are arranged in the gas mixing chamber, each of which is loaded with a methanol solution; the bottom of each mixing chamber is connected to the air inlet, and the top of each mixing chamber is connected to the air outlet.

7. A method for preparing a room temperature catalytic power generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The method comprises: S10, forming a bottom electrode on the substrate, and sequentially forming the catalyst layer and the top electrode on a surface of the substrate away from the bottom electrode, to finally obtain the reaction unit, wherein the orthographic projection area of ​​the top electrode on the substrate is smaller than the orthographic projection area of ​​the catalyst layer on the substrate; S20, connecting a plurality of the reaction units in series to obtain a reactor, and transferring the reactor into the power generation cavity; S30, introducing a mixed gas formed by methanol and air into the surface of the catalyst layer to form a current between the top electrode and the bottom electrode.

8. The method for preparing a room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 7, characterized in that: Before performing the step S10, the method further includes: pre-treating the substrate, wherein the pre-treating includes any one of chemical corrosion treatment, ion implantation treatment, in-situ etching treatment, seed layer growth treatment, heating calcination treatment and annealing treatment.

9. The method for preparing a room temperature catalytic power generation device according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the step S10, the method of sequentially forming the catalyst layer on the surface of the substrate away from the bottom electrode includes any one of magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy and electrochemical deposition.

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