Photoelectrochemical reaction device

Abstract

The utility model provides a photoelectrochemical reaction device which comprises a shell, a plurality of reaction monomers and a cooling assembly, a reaction cavity is formed in the shell, the reaction cavity is filled with reaction liquid, and the shell is provided with a light-transmitting area suitable for allowing light rays to penetrate through. The plurality of reaction monomers are arranged in the reaction cavity, and the light-receiving surface of each reaction monomer faces the light-transmitting area, so that electron-hole pairs are generated under the action of illumination, and the reaction liquid is subjected to photocatalysis to generate a hydrogen peroxide solution. The cooling assembly is arranged in the reaction cavity and is suitable for dissipating part of heat of the hydrogen peroxide solution so as to slow down the decomposition rate of the hydrogen peroxide solution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of photoelectrocatalysis and hydrogen peroxide preparation, in particular to a photoelectrochemical reaction device. Background Art

[0002] Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a colorless, transparent, weakly acidic liquid widely found in nature and in living organisms. It has a wide range of applications in the chemical, environmental, pharmaceutical, and food industries. In the chemical industry, hydrogen peroxide can be used as an oxidant, bleaching agent, or disinfectant. In the environmental field, it can be used to treat harmful substances in industrial wastewater and exhaust gas, degrading and purifying pollutants. In the pharmaceutical field, it can be used to disinfect medical supplies or directly apply to the skin. In the food industry, it can be used for disinfection or oxidation during food processing.

[0003] Currently, the more common methods for preparing hydrogen peroxide are the anthraquinone method and the electrolysis method, which have been implemented in large-scale production applications. In the anthraquinone method, anthraquinone is dissolved in an organic solvent and then hydrogenated with high-pressure hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to produce anthraquinone. Oxygen is then used to oxidize the anthraquinone into hydrogen peroxide and anthraquinone. Finally, water is used to extract the hydrogen peroxide and separate the aqueous phase. However, the anthraquinone method is expensive and produces a large amount of pollutants due to the use of organic solvents and high-pressure hydrogen. The electrolysis method mainly produces hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water or electrolyte solutions, and then combines the hydrogen and oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide. Although it does not use organic solvents, the electricity used for electrolysis in large-scale production still results in high energy consumption.

[0004] In the related art, the production of hydrogen peroxide using photocatalysis generally requires only low or no voltage to proceed, resulting in low energy consumption, environmental friendliness, and convenient purification, which has promising development prospects. However, the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide also has some drawbacks, such as the low conversion rate of light energy to chemical energy. In addition, due to uneven illumination, light energy is converted into heat energy and continuously accumulates, which increases the reaction environment temperature and causes the prepared hydrogen peroxide to decompose, thus limiting the application of photocatalytic production in large-scale production. Therefore, how to achieve large-scale photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the utility model provides a photoelectrochemical reaction device, which realizes large-scale photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide through the cooperation of multiple reaction monomers and cooling components.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a photoelectrochemical reaction device, comprising: a housing, wherein a reaction chamber is formed within the housing, the reaction chamber is filled with a reaction liquid, and the housing has a light-transmitting area suitable for accommodating the transmission of light; a plurality of reaction monomers disposed within the reaction chamber, with the light-facing surfaces of the reaction monomers facing the light-transmitting area, so that electron-hole pairs are generated under the action of light, causing the reaction liquid to produce a hydrogen peroxide solution through photocatalysis; and a cooling assembly disposed within the reaction chamber and suitable for dissipating some of the heat of the hydrogen peroxide solution to slow the decomposition rate of the hydrogen peroxide solution.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, a gas supply assembly is further included, which is in communication with the reaction chamber and is suitable for supplying oxygen-containing gas into the reaction chamber.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the gas supply assembly includes: a gas supply pipeline laid inside the above-mentioned shell, with multiple gas outlets connected to the above-mentioned reaction chamber formed on the gas supply pipeline; and an air pump suitable for outputting oxygen-containing gas to the above-mentioned gas supply pipeline.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the gas outlet is provided with a one-way valve to allow the oxygen-containing gas to pass through and prevent the hydrogen peroxide solution from entering the gas supply pipeline.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the cooling assembly includes: a cooling pipe, laid inside the shell, with a heat exchange medium circulating inside the cooling pipe; a heat exchange part, arranged outside the shell and connected to the input end and output end of the cooling pipe respectively, so as to dissipate the heat of the heat exchange medium to the external environment.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, the cooling pipe is arranged in an S shape in the reaction chamber.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the cooling pipe includes: a water inlet main pipe connected to the first end of the heat exchange part; a water outlet main pipe connected to the second end of the heat exchange part; and a plurality of sub-pipes arranged in parallel between the water inlet main pipe and the water outlet main pipe, with adjacent sub-pipes arranged in parallel and spaced apart.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the housing includes: a lower housing in which the reaction chamber is disposed; and an upper housing covered on the lower housing, wherein the upper housing forms the light-transmitting area.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the reaction unit includes: a photoanode, configured to generate electron-hole pairs in response to light, wherein the holes are suitable for undergoing an oxidation reaction with water in the reaction liquid to generate hydrogen peroxide; and a photocathode, connected to the photoanode via a conductor, configured to guide the electrons to undergo a reduction reaction with oxygen near the photocathode to generate hydrogen peroxide.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the holes react with water in the reaction solution to generate hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen ions, and the electrons, the hydrogen ions, and oxygen react to generate hydrogen peroxide.

[0016] The photoelectrochemical reaction device provided by this utility model increases the light-exposed area by arranging multiple reaction units, thereby improving the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide production. Furthermore, a cooling component is provided to continuously cool the generated hydrogen peroxide solution, slowing its decomposition efficiency, making the photocatalytic method suitable for large-scale hydrogen peroxide production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through the following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the photoelectrochemical reaction device provided by the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the photoelectrochemical reaction device provided by the present invention after the reaction monomer is removed;

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the reactive monomers in the exemplary embodiment shown.

[0021] In the above drawings, the meanings of the reference numerals are as follows:

[0022] 1. Shell;

[0023] 2. Reactive monomer;

[0024] 21. Photoanode;

[0025] 22. Photocathode;

[0026] 23. Conductors;

[0027] 3. Cooling components;

[0028] 31. Cooling pipe;

[0029] 32. Heat exchange unit;

[0030] 4. Air supply components;

[0031] 41. Gas supply pipeline;

[0032] 42. Air pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] The terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The terms "comprise", "include", etc. used herein indicate the presence of the features, steps, operations and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations or components.

[0035] All terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context of this specification and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly rigid manner.

[0036] When expressions such as “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” are used, they should generally be interpreted in accordance with the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art. For example, “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” should include but is not limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A, B, and C, etc. When expressions such as “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” are used, they should generally be interpreted in accordance with the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art. For example, “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” should include but is not limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A, B, and C, etc.

[0037] It should also be noted that directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "front," "back," "left," and "right" mentioned in the embodiments are merely references to the directions in the accompanying drawings and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Throughout the drawings, identical elements are represented by identical or similar reference numerals. Conventional structures or configurations will be omitted where they may cause confusion in understanding the present invention.

[0038] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the photoelectrochemical reaction device provided by the utility model. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the photoelectrochemical reaction device provided by the present invention after the reaction monomers are removed.

[0039] The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a photoelectrochemical reaction device, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the device comprises a housing 1, multiple reaction cells 2, and a cooling assembly 3. A reaction chamber is formed within the housing 1 and filled with a reaction liquid. The housing 1 also has a light-transmitting area adapted to allow light to pass through. Multiple reaction cells 2 are positioned within the reaction chamber, with the light-facing surface of each reaction cell facing the light-transmitting area. This generates electron-hole pairs under illumination, allowing the reaction liquid to photocatalytically produce a hydrogen peroxide solution. The cooling assembly 3, positioned within the reaction chamber, dissipates some of the heat from the hydrogen peroxide solution, thereby slowing its decomposition rate.

[0040] In such an embodiment, light from an external light source is irradiated onto the light-facing surface of the reaction monomer through the light-transmitting area. Under the excitation of light, the reaction monomer generates electron-hole pairs, causing the reaction liquid to generate hydrogen peroxide through an oxidation-reduction reaction. The generated hydrogen peroxide is then dissolved in the reaction liquid to obtain a hydrogen peroxide solution. By arranging multiple reaction monomers in the reaction chamber, the light-facing area, that is, the catalytic area, is increased, thereby improving the utilization rate of light energy and production efficiency. As the photocatalytic reaction continues, the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide solution, which is always in a light environment, gradually increases, causing its decomposition rate to accelerate. By arranging a cooling component 3 in the reaction chamber to continuously cool the hydrogen peroxide solution to control the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide solution, the decomposition rate is slowed down, thereby ensuring the production efficiency of hydrogen peroxide and realizing the application of photocatalysis in the large-scale production of hydrogen peroxide.

[0041] In this embodiment, sunlight is preferably used for the reaction, which is environmentally friendly and low in cost. Alternatively, one or more of a xenon lamp, a mercury lamp, a laser, or an LED can be selected, with a light intensity of 10W / cm 2 –1000W / cm 2 .

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the photoelectrochemical reaction device further includes a gas supply component 4, which is in communication with the reaction chamber and is suitable for supplying oxygen into the reaction chamber.

[0043] In this embodiment, after the reaction monomer 2 is excited to generate electron-hole pairs, the holes undergo an oxidation reaction with the reaction liquid, and the electrons undergo a reduction reaction with oxygen. Since there is less oxygen dissolved in the reaction liquid, additional oxygen is supplied by the gas supply assembly 4 to promote the reduction reaction.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gas supply assembly 4 includes a gas supply pipe 41 and an air pump 42. The gas supply pipe 41 is laid inside the housing 1 and has multiple gas outlets connected to the reaction chamber formed on the gas supply pipe 41. The air pump 42 is adapted to output oxygen-containing gas to the gas supply pipe 41.

[0045] In such an embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the air pump 42 is arranged outside the housing 1, and multiple air supply pipes 41 are connected to the air pump 42 and penetrate the housing 1 through the positioning holes. Multiple reaction units 2 are arranged in an array and formed into a reaction panel with the support of a positioning frame or positioning plate, and are installed in the housing 1. Figure 2 As shown, each gas supply pipe 41 is provided with a gas outlet, and the positions of each gas outlet are arranged in sequence in a direction away from the air pump 42 to improve the uniformity of gas supply.

[0046] In some other embodiments, the oxygen-containing gas includes but is not limited to pure oxygen, air, compressed air, and an oxygen-nitrogen mixture. Taking air as an example, the oxygen content is 21%, and the proportions of other oxygen-containing gases can be implemented according to actual content.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the gas outlet is provided with a one-way valve to allow the oxygen-containing gas to pass through and prevent the hydrogen peroxide solution from entering the gas supply pipe 41 .

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, the cooling assembly 3 includes a cooling pipe 31 and a heat exchange portion 32. The cooling pipe 31 is laid inside the housing 1, and a heat exchange medium circulates inside the cooling pipe 31. The heat exchange portion 32 is disposed outside the housing 1 and communicates with the input and output ends of the cooling pipe 31, respectively, to dissipate heat from the heat exchange medium to the external environment.

[0049] In this embodiment, the cooling pipe 31 is fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the housing 1 by a bracket to fully contact the hydrogen peroxide solution to improve heat exchange efficiency. The heat exchange medium includes but is not limited to water, which preferably has good heat transfer performance.

[0050] More specifically, the heat exchange unit 32 includes a circulating water condenser. After the water in the cooling pipe 31 exchanges heat with the reaction liquid in the shell, it carries the heat to the circulating water condenser, transfers the heat to the copper or aluminum heat sink fins, and then flows back to the cooling pipe 31 to continue the heat exchange with the reaction liquid in the shell. The heat from the heat sink fins is quickly dissipated to the external environment with the help of a fan.

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling pipe 31 is arranged in an S shape in the reaction chamber.

[0052] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 As shown, the heat exchange portion 32 is disposed outside the housing 1 , and the cooling pipe 31 is arranged in an S-shape to make the heat exchange between the heat exchange medium and the hydrogen peroxide solution more sufficient.

[0053] More specifically, the S-shaped cooling pipe 31 is roughly divided into two parts, and the plurality of air supply pipes 41 are also divided into two groups. Figure 2 A group of air supply pipes 41, including but not limited to 5, are arranged below the air supply pipe 41. The length of each air supply pipe 41 increases successively, and the gas outlet is arranged at the end of the air supply pipe 41 to achieve the position of the gas outlet in the aforementioned embodiment. The gas outlet is arranged in sequence along the direction away from the air pump 42. This not only optimizes the layout of the air supply pipe 41, making it more beautiful and tidy, but also takes into account the uniformity of the air supply, and at the same time enables the cooling pipe 31 to cover a larger area, thereby improving the cooling effect.

[0054] It should be noted here that the cooling pipe 31 and the air supply pipe 41 both penetrate into the shell 1 through the positioning holes, so a sealing device, such as a sealing rubber ring, is provided at the positioning holes to seal the shell 1 to prevent liquid leakage.

[0055] In some other embodiments, the cooling pipe 31 includes a water inlet main pipe, a water outlet main pipe, and multiple sub-pipes. The water inlet main pipe is connected to the first end of the heat exchange unit, and the water outlet main pipe is connected to the second end of the heat exchange unit. The multiple sub-pipes are arranged in parallel between the water inlet and water outlet main pipes, with adjacent sub-pipes arranged in parallel and spaced apart.

[0056] In this embodiment, the heat exchange medium flows from the water inlet manifold to each sub-pipe, exchanges heat with the reaction liquid in the shell, and then flows into the water outlet manifold, ultimately returning to the heat exchange section 32. This arrangement can increase the circulation frequency of the heat exchange medium between the cooling pipe 31 and the heat exchange section 32. The sub-pipes and the water inlet / outlet manifolds are detachable, making them easy to adjust according to usage needs.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, the housing 1 includes a lower housing and an upper housing. A reaction chamber is provided in the lower housing. The upper housing is covered on the lower housing, and the upper housing forms a light-transmitting area.

[0058] In such an embodiment, the housing 1 adopts a split structure, which facilitates the installation and removal of the reaction unit 2, the cooling assembly 3 and the gas supply assembly 4.

[0059] In some other embodiments, the lower shell is constructed as a light-proof structure to reduce the dissipation of light energy and improve the utilization rate of light energy.

[0060] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the reactive monomers in the exemplary embodiment shown.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 3As shown, the reaction cell 2 includes a photoanode 21, a photocathode 22, and a conductor 23. The photoanode 21 is configured to generate electron-hole pairs in response to light, and the holes are suitable for undergoing an oxidation reaction with water in the reaction solution to produce hydrogen peroxide. The photocathode 22 is connected to the photoanode 21 via the conductor 23 and is configured to guide electrons to undergo a reduction reaction with oxygen near the photocathode 22 to produce hydrogen peroxide.

[0062] In this embodiment, electrons travel from the photoanode 21 to the photocathode 22 along the conductor 23. The oxygen near the photocathode 22 comes from the dissolved oxygen in the reaction solution or the oxygen in the oxygen-containing gas. The reaction solution includes, but is not limited to, water or an electrolyte solution. In the electrolyte solution, the water content is preferably greater than 80 vol%.

[0063] In some other embodiments, the photocathode 22 includes, but is not limited to, polythiophene, polycarbazole, or polypyrrole. The photoanode 21 includes, but is not limited to, bismuth vanadate (BiVO4), ferric oxide (Fe2O3), or tungsten oxide (WO3). These materials are deposited onto a conductive substrate, including any of conductive glass, carbon paper, titanium foil, conductive carbon cloth, gold foil, and graphite paper, by deposition or other methods. In some other embodiments, non-metallic materials such as graphene and carbon powder can be used for modification to enhance photoelectrocatalytic performance.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, holes react with water to generate hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen ions, and electrons, hydrogen ions, and oxygen react to generate hydrogen peroxide.

[0065] In this embodiment, the reaction formula at the photoanode 21 is 2H2O+h + →H2O2+2H + , the reaction formula at the photocathode 22 is O2+2e - +2H + →H2O2.

[0066] In some other embodiments, some other reactions may occur, such as the reaction liquid generating oxygen, hydrogen ions and electrons under the action of holes, which affects the reaction rate of the overall reaction. The reaction rate can be regulated by selectively adding electrolytes according to the pH value of the reaction environment during the reaction. The selectable electrolytes include but are not limited to sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, phosphate buffer solution, sodium hydroxide or perchloric acid.

[0067] The above describes embodiments of the present invention. However, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Although each embodiment has been described separately above, this does not mean that the measures in each embodiment cannot be used in combination to advantage. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, those skilled in the art may make various substitutions and modifications, which should all fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A photoelectrochemical reaction device, characterized in that: include: A shell (1), wherein a reaction chamber is formed in the shell (1), the reaction chamber is filled with a reaction liquid, and the shell (1) has a light-transmitting area suitable for accommodating the transmission of light; A plurality of reaction monomers (2) are arranged in the reaction chamber, and the light-facing surfaces of the reaction monomers (2) face the light-transmitting area, so as to generate electron-hole pairs under the action of light, so that the reaction liquid generates a hydrogen peroxide solution through photocatalysis; A cooling component (3) is arranged in the reaction chamber and is suitable for dissipating part of the heat of the hydrogen peroxide solution to slow down the decomposition rate of the hydrogen peroxide solution.

2. The reaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that It also includes a gas supply component (4) which is in communication with the reaction chamber and is suitable for supplying oxygen-containing gas into the reaction chamber.

3. The reaction device according to claim 2, characterized in that The air supply assembly (4) comprises: A gas supply pipe (41) is laid inside the shell (1), and a plurality of gas outlets communicating with the reaction chamber are formed on the gas supply pipe (41); The air pump (42) is adapted to output oxygen-containing gas to the air supply pipeline (41).

4. The reaction device according to claim 3, characterized in that The gas outlet is provided with a one-way valve to allow the oxygen-containing gas to pass through and prevent the hydrogen peroxide solution from entering the gas supply pipe (41).

5. The reaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The cooling assembly (3) comprises: A cooling pipe (31) is laid inside the shell (1), and a heat exchange medium circulates inside the cooling pipe (31); The heat exchange portion (32) is arranged outside the shell (1) and is respectively connected to the input end and the output end of the cooling pipe (31) to dissipate the heat of the heat exchange medium to the external environment.

6. The reaction device according to claim 5, characterized in that The cooling pipe (31) is arranged in an S shape in the reaction chamber.

7. The reaction device according to claim 5, characterized in that The cooling pipe (31) comprises: a water inlet main pipe connected to a first end of the heat exchange portion (32); a water outlet main pipe connected to the second end of the heat exchange portion (32); and A plurality of sub-pipes are arranged in parallel between the water inlet main pipe and the water outlet main pipe, and adjacent sub-pipes are arranged in parallel and spaced apart.

8. The reaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The housing (1) comprises: a lower shell, wherein the reaction chamber is provided in the lower shell; The upper shell is covered on the lower shell, and the upper shell forms the light-transmitting area.

9. The reaction device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The reaction monomer (2) includes: a photoanode (21) configured to generate electron-hole pairs in response to light, wherein the holes are suitable for undergoing an oxidation reaction with water in the reaction solution to generate hydrogen peroxide; The photocathode (22) is connected to the photoanode (21) via a conductor (23) and is configured to guide the electrons to react with oxygen near the photocathode (22) to generate hydrogen peroxide.

10. The reaction device according to claim 9, characterized in that The holes react with water in the reaction solution to generate hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen ions, and the electrons, the hydrogen ions, and oxygen react to generate hydrogen peroxide.

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