Solid state surface catalysis reactor

2000.01.25, US, 177919 2000.03.02, US, 186567 2000.08.03, US, 631463 (71) Seeking (72) Inventor (74) Proxy

Neokismet LLC, Suite 1350,456 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94104, US Anthony C Zuppero, Pollock Pines, CA 95726-9456, US Jawahar M Giawani, San Francisco, CA 94133, US Oslo Patent Office AS, 0306 Oslo (54) Description Semiconductor Surface Catalyst Reactor (57) Summary ^One method and apparatus for stimulating chemical reactions on a catalytic surface (116) using electricity, and the reverse process of converting energy released from chemical reactions into electricity. A reversible emitter (102) generates electrons that are injected into reactants on the catalytic surface (116), which excite chemical reactive vibration resonances. Hot electrons formed in the emitter region of a semiconductor junction (110) diffuse to the collocated collector region and catalytic surface (116). Catalyst clusters or films attached to the collector surface transfer the hot electrons to or from the catalytic surface (116) with adsorbed reactants. The dimension of the catalyst collector (104) is smaller than the mean free energy path of hot electrons. The hot electrons excite reactant vibrations prior to thermalization with the grid substrate and thus accelerate reactions. The hot electrons are also generated by the same reactions on a catalytic surface. The method and apparatus are reversible and can be operated as an electrical generator using chemical reactions.