SFU boffins in

A TEAM of scientists at Simon Fraser University
will spend the next two years studying semiconduc-
tor electrodes in a research project which may yield

cost-effective alternatives to non-renewable fossil .

fuels.

Headed by physicist Dr.
Roy Morrison, director of
SFU’s Energy Research In-

stitute, and funded by a
$177,000 contract from the

federal department of
energy, mines and resources,

the team hopes to find ways
of improving the conversion
efficiency of electrocatalytic
reduction — a process that
can be used to produce fuels
such as methanol, a flam-
mable liquid alcohol touted
as a possible replacement for

gasoline. Working with Mor-
mson are Dr. Lionel Funt

from the chemistry depart-
ment and Dr. Konrad Col-
bow from physics.
Mormison, formerly with
the Stanford Research In-
Stitute and the Honcywell

Research Centre, said
research focussing on electro-

catalytic and photocatalytic
fuel conversion on semicon-

ductors is a relatively new
field. ‘‘There are only a

handful of scientists around
the world working in this
arca and given the talents of

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dance of protons. A semicon-
ductor electrode is used to
deliver highly active electrons
to the solution. As a result
hydrogen atoms are formed
and attach themselves to the

._garbon- dioxide molecules,

the people who comprise our
team, I feel we can make a
really significant contribu-
tion to knowledge in this area
and play a part in the quest
for alternative fuels.’’
Semiconductors, the
materials at the heart of the
project, are a class of solids
whose electrical conductivity
is somewhere between that of
a conductor and an insulator;
being almost metallic and
highly conductive at high
temperatures and nearly ab-
sent of conductivity at low
temperatures. Examples of

semiconductors are silcon
(used widely in microclectro-
nics), zinc oxide, gallium ox-
ide and titantium dioxide.

In recent years scientists
have discovered that semi-
conductors are valuable in
electrosynthesis and can be
activated by electrical or
solar energy to cause
chemical reactions in some
materials. To produce

methanol, for cxample, car-
bon dioxide is infused in
water containing an abun-

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oxygen atoms are removed
and methanol is produced.

There -are still problems
with the process, however,
not the least being that ef-
forts to boost production to
commercial levels have been

frustrated by a tendency for
solutions to yield less useful

materials instead of the
desired fuels when too high
an electric current is used.
Morrison’s project will at-
tempt to start from square
one by studying the proper-
ties of simple semiconduc-
tors, such as silicon, to deter-
mine precisely what is involv-
ed in catalytic reactions.
Team member Funt will
focus his efforts on conduc-

tive polymers used to cover
semiconductor electrodes.

The polymers serve to protect
the semiconductors from the
solutions they are immersed
in and it may be possible to
put catalysts in the polymers
themselves to further
enhance catalytic reactions
and fuel production. And,

Colbow will look at com-
plexes in the chemical solu-

.

quest for power

tions to determine how semi-
conductor electrons interact.

Morrison hopes that infor-
mation exchanges with other
scientists working in the field
will benefit global research
and accordingly, an NSERC
application has been made by
the SFU Energy Research In-
stitute to bring a noted Israeli
scientist to campus for col-
laboration.

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