Technology

GlaS-A-Fuels' strides toward pioneering technology advancements rest upon three core pillars.

1

Incorporation of functional thermoelectric composite polymers and highly luminescent perovskite films within the photonic glass reactor.

  • The dual embedding of functional layers within the reactor represents a technological breakthrough. It enables energy harvesting from temperature variations via nanocatalysts, while also enhancing the photocatalytic reaction through light-tuning. Additionally, encapsulating inorganic metal halide PerovskiteNanoCrystals (PNCs) within inorganic oxide glasses resolves stability and toxicity issues, that prohibit the employment of PNCs on optoelectronic and photonic applications.

    In the process of creating a multi-component self-powered photonic glass reactor, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) will be encapsulated within thermoelectric (TE) composite polymer films using the same method as the PNCs.

    The embedded TE polymer will generate voltage from temperature variations, storing the electrical power in a battery for continuous operation. This architecture introduces two technological breakthroughs: self-sustainability of the glass photocatalyst reactor through electrical power production, and PhotoLuminescence (PL) wavelength tuning via photonic glass electric field application on the PNCs layer edges. These advancements rely on laser processing of glass components and encapsulation of functional materials within the glass. The former enhances light scattering effects, while the latter improves reactor sustainability.

2

Employment of femtosecond (fs) laser-processing for the formation of patterns on the glass surfaces towards enhancing the optical and emission properties of the photonic glass reactor.

  • The thermoelectric PV-glass reactor offers a remarkable opportunity for the application of laser-processed functionalities towards enhancing light accumulation in the reaction mixture, and thus, boosting the photocatalytic processes. Namely, the outer part of the side pods of the glass reactor will be processed to induce antireflective properties, therefore, allowing more solar energy to enter the reaction mixture. On the other hand, the inner part of the side pods will be processed to enhance light scattering and thus, trapping the light inside the photonic glass reactor. Finally, the bottom surface of the reactor will be processed to enhance the transfer of light from the luminescent PV active layer, as well as for creating AgNPs-based waveguide features beneath the surface, for guiding the light from the PV layer to the reaction mixture.

3

Engineering of single‑atom catalysts integrated with photo‑triggered functions for 2G biofuels.

  • GlaS-A-Fuels aims to engineer recyclable, noble metal-free photo-SACs for solar energy generation. These SACs utilize photoactive substrates coupled with transition metal single-atom (SA) centers to induce and amplify photoelectron, photothermal, and plasmonic phenomena. This triggers charge separation and transfer processes, offering control over electron and hole energies. Achieving energy matching with reactants enables higher selectivities, surpassing noble-metal catalysts. Operating at low temperatures prevents undesirable byproducts, such as ethyl-acetate, dielthyl ether, ethylene and others. Inspired by natural photosystems, these catalysts efficiently channel high-energy species to catalytically active metal centers.