Hydrogen has the potential to provide enough cheap, clean energy to run the whole world. It is highly abundant as a component of water, and if a low-cost and sustainable method to extract it could be found, a hydrogen-fuel economy might finally become a reality.
Many scientists are studying different methods to separate the hydrogen from oxygen in water. At the Los Alamos National Laboratory, scientists have discovered a simple, room-temperature chemical treatment that can change conductivity in a semi-conductor, creating one of the best hydrogen-evolution electrocatalysts. This treatment could lead to a revolution in renewable fuels production and electronic applications.
Photocatalyst-assisted splitting of water is an ideal method of large-scale hydrogen production, as it can use solar energy sustainably and efficiently.
Meanwhile, the journal Taylor & Francis Online reports that another group of scientists are investigating the use of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a photocatalyst for water splitting and organic dye degradation. Photocatalyst-assisted splitting of water is an ideal method of large-scale hydrogen production, as it can use solar energy sustainably and efficiently.
To assist the actions of catalysts, researchers from Delft University of Technology, in collaboration with scientists from the École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne, have found a simple yet effective solution that greatly increases the efficiency and stability of hydrogen production through solar-driven water splitting. They separate the two electrodes used in the process using a specialized membrane that allows each material to act in the best possible environment. This means that Earth-abundant catalysts can be used, instead of rare and expensive metals, and makes the whole process cheaper, more stable, and more efficient.
To learn more about these scientific advances, read the articles “Efficient hydrogen production made easy” at the Los Alamos National Laboratory website, “Hydrogen production using zinc-doped carbon nitride catalyst irradiated with visible light” at Taylor & Francis Online, and “Simple solution makes hydrogen production through solar water splitting more efficient and cheaper” at Phys.org.
