Reactor and operating method

Abstract

In an embodiment a reactor includes an electron source having a first gate-insulator-substrate electron-emission structure (GIS-EE) and configured to inject electrons into a fluid and a transportation system for the fluid configured to adjust a velocity of the fluid when passing the electron source, wherein the electron source is configured to provide the electrons to be injected into the fluid in an interior of the electron source and distant from the fluid, wherein the injected electrons are to initiate at least one chemical reaction in the fluid, wherein, when reaching the fluid, at least part of the injected electrons has a kinetic energy of at most 50 eV, wherein the electrons are propagatable only in solid matter from the interior until emission into the fluid, and wherein the GIS-EE includes an electrically conductive substrate, a transfer layer of a material with a band gap of at least 4 eV on the substrate, a gate electrode of a further electrically conductive material directly on the transfer layer, a first electrical connection structure on the substrate, and a second electrical connection structure on the gate electrode.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A reactor comprising:
 an electron source comprising a first gate-insulator-substrate electron-emission structure (GIS-EE) and configured to inject electrons into a fluid, the fluid containing at least one gas and/or at least one liquid; and   a transportation system for the fluid configured to adjust a velocity of the fluid when passing the electron source,   wherein the electron source is configured to provide the electrons to be injected into the fluid in an interior of the electron source and distant from the fluid,   wherein the injected electrons are to initiate at least one chemical reaction in the fluid,   wherein, when reaching the fluid, at least part of the injected electrons has a kinetic energy of at most 50 eV,   wherein the electrons are propagatable only in solid matter from the interior until emission into the fluid, and   wherein the GIS-EE comprises:
 an electrically conductive substrate, 
 a transfer layer of a material with a band gap of at least 4 eV on the substrate ( 21 ), 
 a gate electrode of a further electrically conductive material directly on the transfer layer, 
 a first electrical connection structure on the substrate, and 
 a second electrical connection structure on the gate electrode. 
   
     
     
         2 . The reactor according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the electron source comprises or is a one-dimensional or two-dimensional grid,   wherein the transportation system is configured to transport the fluid through the grid,   wherein the electron source further comprises control electronics configured to provide a voltage between the electrically conductive substrate and the gate electrode.   
     
     
         3 . The reactor according to  claim 1 , wherein a distance between the fluid and the interior configured to provide the electrons to be injected into the fluid is between 1 monolayer and 100 nm. 
     
     
         4 . The reactor according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the reactor is an electro-chemical cell, and   wherein the electron source is a first electrode of the electrochemical cell.   
     
     
         5 . The reactor according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the transportation system is configured so that a maximum distance of any portion of the fluid to the electron source is at most 30 μm when passing the electron source and/or the transportation system is configured to stir the fluid when passing the electron source.   
     
     
         6 . The reactor according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the transportation system comprises at least one of   a pump configured to pump at least one liquid past the electron source,   a temperature control unit,   a single or a plurality of the electron sources,   a detector arranged past the electron source along the transportation system, or   an analytical instrument before or after the electron source to separate substances.   
     
     
         7 . The reactor according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second gate-insulator stack on top of the GIS-EE,
 wherein an electric potential of the GIS-EE is configured to control an emitted current and the second gate-insulator stack, which is in contact with the fluid, is configured to either control a carrier energy or a surface potential to influence the at least one chemical reaction at an interface between the gate-insulator stack and the fluid.   
     
     
         8 . The reactor according to  claim 1 , wherein either the gate electrode comprises of glassy carbon or the GIS-EE is based on a non-porous hot electron emitter comprising silicon. 
     
     
         9 . A method for operating the reactor according to  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 transporting, by the transportation system, the fluid which contains the at least one gas and/or the at least one liquid past the electron source; and   injecting, by the electron source, the electrons into the fluid,   wherein the electrons to be injected into the fluid are provided in the interior of the electron source and distant from the fluid,   wherein the injected electrons initiate the at least one chemical reaction in the fluid, and   wherein, when reaching the fluid, at least part of the injected electrons has a kinetic energy of at most 50 eV.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the fluid is a liquid into which the injected electrons are solvated after emission into the fluid.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the at least one chemical reaction is or comprises at least one of a Birch reduction or a Bouvealt-Blanc reduction, and wherein solvated electrons are generated by direct electron injection without using alkali metals and/or solvents.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the electron source serves as a cathode, and the at least one chemical reaction is or comprises an electrochemical reaction.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the at least one chemical reaction comprises a reduction reaction initiated by the injected electrons which are thermalized when initiating the at least one chemical reaction.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the solvated electrons trigger a dissociation of a target molecule.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 ,
 wherein the fluid contains CO 2 , and
 wherein, by the injected electrons, the CO 2  is dissociated and/or converted to another chemical. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the fluid is air or seawater.   
     
     
         17 . A detector system comprising:
 the reactor according to  claim 1 ; and   a detector unit configured to detect the fluid provided with the electrons.   
     
     
         18 . The detector system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the reactor is part of a micro fluidic synthesis or analysis system.   
     
     
         19 . The detector system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the detector unit comprises a spectrometer based on ion mobility.   
     
     
         20 . The detector system of  claim 17 ,
 further comprising a molecular separation device,   wherein the molecular separation device is located before the electron source, seen along a direction of movement of the fluid.