2D Janus materials could harvest abundant hydrogen fuel

A new group of asymmetric 2D materials can readily catalyse the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen

28-Feb-2023 - Several studies have predicted that the water splitting reaction could be catalysed by certain groups of 2D materials – each measuring just a few atoms thick. One particularly promising group are named 2D Janus materials, whose two sides each feature a different molecular composition. Through new ...

A step towards solar fuels out of thin air

The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare

06-Jan-2023 - EPFL chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare. A device that can ...

Inexpensive catalyst uses energy from light to turn ammonia into hydrogen fuel

Start-up Syzygy Plasmonics has licensed technology

28-Nov-2022 - Rice University researchers have engineered a key light-activated nanomaterial for the hydrogen economy. Using only inexpensive raw materials, a team from Rice’sLaboratory for Nanophotonics,Syzygy Plasmonics Inc.and Princeton University’sAndlinger Center for Energy and the Environmentcreated ...

Rice lab advances water-splitting catalysts

Engineers develop stable devices that don’t require expensive iridium

26-Oct-2022 - Creating ahydrogen economyis no small task, but Rice University engineers have discovered a method that could makeoxygen evolutioncatalysis in acids, one of the most challenging topics in water electrolysis forproducing clean hydrogen fuels, more economical and practical. The lab of chemical ...

New tech aims to drive down costs of hydrogen fuel

02-Jun-2022 - Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for extracting hydrogen gas from liquid carriers which is faster, less expensive and more energy efficient than previous approaches. “Hydrogen is widely viewed as a sustainable energy source for transportation, but ...

New method to convert plastic trash into clean hydrogen fuel

11-Apr-2022 - Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new method for plastic waste to be converted into hydrogen based on pyrolysis, a high temperature chemical process. Unlike PET plastic bottles which can be recycled easily, plastic litter containing ...

A “fairly simple” breakthrough makes accessing stored hydrogen more efficient

New catalyst extracts hydrogen from hydrogen storage materials easily and efficiently

15-Feb-2022 - A new catalyst from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and collaborators extracts hydrogen from hydrogen storage materials easily and efficiently. The process occurs at mild temperatures and under normal atmospheric conditions, without using metals or additives. The breakthrough ...

Double-duty catalyst generates hydrogen fuel while cleaning up wastewater

19-Mar-2021 - Hydrogen is a pollution-free energy source when it's extracted from water using sunlight instead of fossil fuels. But current strategies for "splitting" or breaking apart water molecules with catalysts and light require the introduction of chemical additives to expedite the process. Now, ...

Novel hydrogen fuel purification membrane paves the way for greener future

Researchers develop a novel membrane that efficiently purifies hydrogen fuel from a mixture of gases

10-Mar-2021 - Hydrogen has been hailed as the 'fuel of the future' owing to several reasons. First, compared to the conventionally used hydrocarbons, hydrogen exhibits higher energy yield. Second, the commercial use of hydrogen fuel, which yields only water as a byproduct product, would help mitigate the ...

Catalyzing a green future

Highly modular metal-organic framework-based materials show great potential for photocatalytic hydrogen production

24-Jun-2020 - A metal organic framework (MOF)-based water splitting photocatalyst, developed at KAUST, has brought researchers a step closer to generating clean hydrogen fuel using sunlight. "Using solar energy to efficiently make green fuels is the ultimate goal for many catalysis researchers," says Jorge ...