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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010179630 | TP359.H8 G74 2008 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000010088505 | TP359.H8 G74 2008 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
In addition to domestic animals the earliest records of mankind indicate that slavery, until the use of coal became widespread, has always been a significant aspect, or part, of nearly every society. Consider for example ancient Attica (Greece), in which 115,000 out of a total population of 315,000 were slaves [1]. For the lucky rulers slaves represented power, Joule/second or Watt. On a steady state basis a healthy adult generates about 100 Watts, or 100 J/s, while a highly conditioned endurance athlete can generate about 300 W for perhaps an hour. Today we obtain our energy from fossil fuels, that magical brew of latent-heat chemistry that allows us to run the world without having to rely on people or domestic animal power. We owe much if not all of modern civilization to fossil fuels, no more than stored solar energy, which provide the 40-plus Terawatts that annually powers the ? 7,000,000,000 people on this planet, with our fossil fuel burn rate growing to accommodate the annual increase of some additional 100,000,000 or so souls. The foundation of modern society is a pile (lake) of priceless, irreplaceable fossil fuel that, by any measure of the energy you get and what you pay, is all intents free, and being virtually free we have and continue to burn our way through it as fast as we possibly can. It is the tragedy of the (fossil fuel) commons.
Author Notes
Craig A. Grimes received B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1984, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. In 1990 he joined the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory where he worked on artificial dielectric structures. From 1994 to 2001 Dr. Grimes was a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Kentucky, where he was the Frank J. Derbyshire Professor. He is currently a Professor at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. His research interests include solar generation of hydrogen by water photoelectrolysis, remote query chemical and environmental sensors, nano-dimensional metal-oxide thin film architectures, and propagation and control of electromagnetic energy. He has contributed over 150 archival journal publications, eight book chapters, and over fifteen patents. He is Editor-in-Chief of Sensor Letters, co-author of the book The Electromagnetic Origin of Quantum Theory and Light published by World Scientific (2nd Edition, 2005), and Editor of The Encyclopedia of Sensors to be published by American Scientific Publishing in 2005.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Grimes and colleagues (all, Pennsylvania State Univ.) have done a marvelous, meticulous job of collecting the latest developments in hydrogen evolution by nontraditional means to prepare the reader to understand and appreciate the importance of semiconductor photoelectrolysis in the energy future. A very moving foreword quantitatively and qualitatively describes the precarious situation in which the human race finds itself, burning fossil fuels in a sobering race, wherein humankind either runs out of fuel or cooks themselves on an overheated greenhouse of a planet. The authors then point us toward solar-driven hydrogen energy production as the only alternative to hoping for a miracle, i.e., our current global energy policy (or lack thereof). Next, they immediately take the reader on a rigorously detailed and deftly explained tour of the latest research in hydrogen-evolving processes. The logically developed chapters are copiously referenced (more than 1,000 references listed) and liberally annotated with graphs, tables, and other illustrative diagrams. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. S. R. Walk Old Dominion University
Table of Contents
| Introduction |
| Photocatalysis and Artificial Photosynthesis |
| Semiconductor Photoelectrochemical Cells for Hydrogen Generation |
| Semiconductor Materials as Photoanodes |
| Oxide Semiconductors: Nano - Crystalline, Tubular, and Porous Systems |
| Microstructure and Quantum Size Effects on the Efficiencies |
| Oxide Semiconductors: Suspended Nanoparticle Systems |
| Non-Oxide Semiconductor Nanostructures |
| Photovoltaic and Tandem Cells |
| Nanotechnology: Prevailing Issues and Challenge |
| Strategies for Future Development and Conclusions |
