Summary: Design a custom 3D printing process so you can build an optimally shaped structure for absorbing concentrated sunlight and converting CO₂ to carbon mo

Summary: Design a custom 3D printing process so you can build an optimally shaped structure for absorbing concentrated sunlight and converting CO₂ to carbon monoxide. 1. Build a structure made of CeO₂ (ceria = Cerium Oxide). The structure is shaped to absorb as much sunlight as possible to heat it to 1500°C, reducing to CeO and O₂ at 0.1 mbar 2. Pass a gas of CO₂ and H₂O over the structure at 900 °C and 1 bar, oxidising the CeO back to CeO₂, and producing CO and H₂ (syngas) in a ratio suitable for potential production of specific hydrocarbon fuels. Decide the structure should be layers of open grids with finer dimension of the grid from top to bottom. Sunlight is absorbed by interior sidewalls of the grid cells. Top layer grid might be a 1x1 cell, second layer 0.5x0.5, next 0.25x0.25 final layer 0.1x0.1. Light comes in at the top layer and light either hits cell wall or passes through cell void to reach the next layer. Previously investigated printing a scaffold and adding ceria to the outside of the structure - some problems. So decided to design a custom 3D extrusion printer that could print the ceria structure directly without any scaffold. Designed a viscous custom fluid containing suspended ceria particles with temperature dependent plasticity. Used that fluid to print 3D structures. Compared efficiency of syngas conversion process from sunlight energy depending on the 3D structure design. Sunlight comes from concentrating solar dish and solar tower configurations. This approach uses the entire solar spectrum.