New Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell

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1 Nonlinear Optics and Quantum Optics, Vol. 00, pp. 1 9 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by license only 2011 Old City Publishing, Inc. Published by license under the OCP Science imprint, a member of the Old City Publishing Group New Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell Constantin OPREAN, Ion MARGINEAN, Corina BOKOR Claudiu ISARIE, Rodica CIUDIN and Sorin ITU Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu 10.Victoriei Blv., Sibiu, , Romania Received: October 12, Accepted: December 8, Authors studied a cell in which the ions are passing through a permeable membrane into a transparent reconversion chamber. In dark conditions the combined suspension of silver and gaseous chlorine results in moving electrons, produced at the cathode by dissociation of silver chloride. They are transported by gravitation at the reconversion window where they are separated from each of the two electrodes and the cycle is repeated with electron liberation. One important advantage is that the system utilises the solar light, and the process is equivalent to the water molecules separation into hydrogen and oxygen. Another advantage is the absorption of solar energy. The transparent window may be quite large, and the cells can be electrically connected. Keywords: photovoltaic cell, solar energy conversion, photovoltaic reverse cell combustion cell Introduction Solar light is one of the most promising and credible renewable energies that can easily become an important energy resource. More than 50 years ago the hydrogen combustion cells were already used in order to produce energy. Hydrogen can be obtained by water electrolyze requiring supply of electricity. By its combustion one obtains again water. The main advantage in this approach is the fact that the waste is the water, which can be reused and the final product is the energy provided to the users. *Corresponding author: claudiu.isarie@ulbsibiu.ro 1 N5-Oprean.indd 1 1/18/2012 5:22:38 PM

2 2 Constantin OPREAN et al. Thus the best, ecofriendly technique, is the decomposition of the wastewater in order to provide the hydrogen and oxygen necessary for combustion units. Reverse photovoltaic cells with halogen, can use solar energy for the photochemical decomposition of some of the most used substances in photography, which are silver halogens. The decomposition process is the next step after the catalytic oxide-reduction processes: silver and halogen used in classical photographic industry forcing the charge flow through the external circuits occurring the consumer and electron ionization. This process is associated with electrons ionisers. In order to divide these two stages, which are both sensitive to light, for the proposed photovoltaic (PV) cell an LCD window is used: Firstly silver is combined with halogen in no-light environment. This process releases electrons through the external circuits. The second stage is silver halogenide decomposition in the main compounds recharging in this way the PV cell in order to combine them again in no-light environment and thus providing the energy to users. The LCD window which is externally supplied by pulsating voltage with a very low consumption and simultaneously for all cells of a battery build as a panel. The principle of operation of such photovoltaic cells consists on the use of solar energy in an untraditional way. It means an indirect electrical energy extraction in order to bring the chemical compounds in their initial stage after electrochemical transformation of previous stages in which the electrical energy was produced. Overview The schematic structure of the photovoltaic reverse cell with halogen is shown in figure 1. It has a planar structure containing an anode -1 and a cathode - 2 which are separated by a membrane permeable to halogen ions -3, an LCD window - 4, external electrical circuits - 5 for electrons flow between anode and cathode, avoiding membrane, a gas chamber - 6 serving to redirect the halogen (chlorine) gas to cathode from the anode zone. The anode is made from thin silver powder which resulted from the photochemical decomposition of silver chloride, settled under the action of gravity on the upper diaphragm no. 3. The cathode is made from a spongy parallelepiped structure as a reduction catalyst; diaphragm no. 2 is on its upper surface. The electrical connection that connects the anode is made by depositing a surface layer as a sieve on the top of diaphragm no. 3. Through the sieve holes, the silver powder is sprayed over, in such a way it is provided the ion s change. N5-Oprean.indd 2 1/18/2012 5:22:38 PM

new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 3 FigURE 1 A Schematic structure photovoltaic reverse cell with halogen FigURE 2 Gravitational deposition of silver atoms on plate According to figure 2 on top of the

The space under the porous and catalytic structure of the cathode is filled with chlorine, which is injected under pressure from the upper layers of the anode.

3 new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 3 FigURE 1 A Schematic structure photovoltaic reverse cell with halogen FigURE 2 Gravitational deposition of silver atoms on plate According to figure 2 on top of the anode (1), the silver neutral atoms are gravitationally deposited. These atoms can lose the electrons from the valence shell. The space under the porous and catalytic structure of the cathode is filled with chlorine, which is injected under pressure from the upper layers of the anode. The photoelectric cell with halogen is functioning in two steps that succeed each other. These phases are accomplished also by the successive light-dark steps due to the opacity or transparency of the LCD window. The first active phase is in no-light or dark environment. At this phase several phenomena are taking place, as shown in figures 3 and 4. At the anode, the N5-Oprean.indd 3 1/18/2012 5:22:38 PM

4 4 Constantin OPREAN et al. FigURE 3 Active phase in absence of light illumination FigURE 4 Capture of electron by chlorine atom neutral silver atoms become positive silver ions by loosing the valence electron which will pass through the anode structure (the layer of thin silver powder and metallic network) to the external circuits and after that to the porous cathode which contains the chlorine gas. Finally the electron is captured by chlorine atom to form the stable configuration of octet (fig.4) becoming a negative ion. This negative ion, which is formed, is captured by the positive silver ions that are in the anode area. The top of the membrane is permeable to the chloride ions, so they pass through as it is shown in figure 5 joining in this way N5-Oprean.indd 4 1/18/2012 5:22:39 PM

new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 5 FigURE 5 Passage of chloride ions through the permeable membrane FigURE 6 Recombination of silver and chloride ions forming AgCl molecule the positively charged

5 new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 5 FigURE 5 Passage of chloride ions through the permeable membrane FigURE 6 Recombination of silver and chloride ions forming AgCl molecule the positively charged silver ion, which react with chloride ion forming a AgCl molecule as shown in (fig. 6). In the second step, the passive one, the LCD window becomes transparent as shown in figure 7 and the light can flow through the upper layer of silver chloride which is more sensitive to the light being dicomposed in black powder of silver and chlorine gas. According to figure 8 the silver chloride molecule, that was formed in the first step in no-light environment, could be broken and the electron captured by chlorine atom in the first stage is recovered by N5-Oprean.indd 5 1/18/2012 5:22:39 PM

silver ion which became again neutral atoms.

6 6 Constantin OPREAN et al. Fig.URE 7 The passive stage in which the LCD window becomes transparent FigURE 8 AgCl molecule decomposes under light into Ag + and Cl - ions. silver ion which became again neutral atoms. The chloride ion became again neutral atoms, placing themselves in the limited space of the cell, creating in this way a small pressure in the lower space of the cathode (figure 9). At this moment the LCD window is controlled from outside via an electronic module in order to became opaque. Now the first step, in which the electrons captured by the silver atoms at anode are redirected to the cathode N5-Oprean.indd 6 1/18/2012 5:22:39 PM

new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 7 FigURE 9 Small pressure in the lower space of the cathode created by Cl atoms. FigURE 10 Electrons redirected to the cathode through the external circuit. is working.

The voltage generated by such a cell has the value of a half a volt and depends on the nature of the chloride ion permeable membrane, by the soaked electrolyte and the cathode catalyst.

7 new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 7 FigURE 9 Small pressure in the lower space of the cathode created by Cl atoms. FigURE 10 Electrons redirected to the cathode through the external circuit. is working. Electrons pass through the external circuit and thus the energy is produced (figure 10). The voltage generated by such a cell has the value of a half a volt and depends on the nature of the chloride ion permeable membrane, by the soaked electrolyte and the cathode catalyst. This kind of cells can be placed as a panel to form a planar battery. As shown in figure 12 their electric links can be serial or parallel through the induced circuits in order to generate higher power at the terminals. An electronic module is ordering the LCD window stages for the entire cell panel to N5-Oprean.indd 7 1/18/2012 5:22:40 PM

8 8 Constantin OPREAN et al. Fig. 11 LCD window controlled from an electronic module to become opaque at this step Fig. 12 Current flow in a series of circuits of photovoltaic cells N5-Oprean.indd 8 1/18/2012 5:22:40 PM

9 new Type of Photo-Voltaic Cell 9 have the two steps simultaneously working in no-light or dark step and in light environment for all of the photovoltaic cells constituting the panel. The panel is covered by the LCD window which can became successively transparent or opaque as shown in figure 11 with a frequency of several tens of hertz. The power provided by the photovoltaic reversible cell panel with halogen is a pulsed one and may be used mainly for battery or accumulators charging which will then provide the electricity to users during the nighttime. Conclusions Photovoltaic reverse cells with halogen convert the solar energy into chemical one. Such cells use chemical substances which are waste of photographic industry, based on silver halogenides. The electric power supplied by such photovoltaic cells is provided from sun by the photochemical reactions on light and no-light control steps. Acknowledgements Research conducted under Romanian project POSDRU 7706 Increasing the role of doctoral studies and doctoral competitiveness in an united Europe cofinanced by European Social Fund through Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development References [1] Oniciu L., Conversia electrochimica a energiei, Editura Stiintifica si Enciclopedica, Bucuresti [2] Popescu I. and Turcu E., Energia incotro?, Editura Scrisul Romanesc, Craiova [3] Barla E., Badea G., Predictions on PV Technology Development In thelight of Kyoto Protocol, The 5th International World Energy System Conference, Mai, [4] Markvart T., Castaner L., Technical Handbook of Photovoltaics,Fundamentals and Applications, Elsevier, Ltd, N5-Oprean.indd 9 1/18/2012 5:22:40 PM

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