Application of CoFe_(2)O_(4)-NiO nanoparticle-coated foam-structured material in a high-flux solar thermochemical reactor

The splitting of carbon dioxide through the two-step solar thermochemical cycle presents enormous potential,for it holds the dual functionalities of solar fuel production and carbon-based energy recovery.However,the industrialization of this technology is impeded by two critical factors:The absence of fully developed oxygen carriers and advanced reaction devices that deliver exceptional performance.In order to identify a potentially effective oxygen carrier,50 wt%NiO-modified Co Fe_(2)O_(4)is selected as the active component and characterized by means of thermogravimetry,scanning electron microscopy,and energy dispersive spectroscopy,so as to clarify its oxygen exchange capacity,micromorphology and elemental composition in high-temperature thermochemical cycles.Further,nanoparticle-coated foam-structured materials are prepared in combination with Si C ceramic foam for experimental testing in a high-flux solar reactor.The results indicate that a peak CO yield of 1.96 m L min^(-1)g^(-1)can be gained in a 1500–1250 K preliminary test,demonstrating the application potential of the material.In contrast to conventional redox materials,the CO_(2)activity of the materials synthesized in this study exhibits an enhancement with rising oxidation temperature.It means that isothermal cycles can potentially achieve higher conversion and fuel yield than non-isothermal cycles,while simultaneously reducing the amount of irreversible heat loss during high-temperature cycling.Although the estimated steadystate thermal efficiency of the solar reactor can reach up to 42%,further optimization of the reactor design is necessary to enhance energy conversion efficiency,as it is partially limited by the dimensions of the reaction chamber.