New nanomaterial allows hydrogen fuel to be produced directly from seawater
Hydrogen, used as fuel for hydrogen fuel cells, can be produced by electrolysis of seawater. However, until recently, such a method for producing hydrogen was economically disadvantageous due to the large amount of required electricity and the need for thorough preliminary purification of seawater. However, researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have developed a new material that makes the process of breaking down seawater more efficient. And this achievement in the future may become the basis for a new source of environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel.
Yang Yang, a researcher at the University of Central Florida, has been working on hydrogen technology for nearly ten years. The main direction of his work was the search for catalysts for the reaction of splitting water under the influence of light energy. But, unfortunately, almost all photocatalysts cannot work in untreated seawater, they quickly deteriorate due to the high concentration of salts and the presence of biological materials in the water. Nevertheless, Young’s group managed to develop a new type of photocatalyst based on nanostructured material.
The photocatalyst nanomaterial is based on a thin film of titanium dioxide, a material widely used in other types of photocatalysts. This film is chemically made with many tiny holes with characteristic internal ridges. And the surface of these protrusions is covered with a layer of molybdenum disulfide, a “conditionally two-dimensional” semiconductor material.
In addition to working effectively in seawater, this catalyst absorbs and uses light energy of a wider spectrum than other catalysts, capturing part of the ultraviolet range, the entire range of visible light and part of the near infrared range of the spectrum, which gives it twice the efficiency exceeding the efficiency of other photocatalysts.
The efficiency of the new nanocatalyst makes the process of obtaining hydrogen fuel more profitable than the direct generation of electrical energy using traditional solar panels. Moreover, hydrogen, with the appropriate technology, is easier to store and transport to places where additional energy is needed. And the hybrid nanomaterial itself, of which the photocatalyst is composed, is produced quite simply from common materials, which determines its cheapness.
It should be noted that scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington, and Tsinghua University, China also contributed to the development of the new photocatalyst nanomaterial. And in their further research, scientists will work on increasing the efficiency of the catalyst, on the development of technologies for its mass production and on technologies for producing hydrogen and simultaneously treating wastewat
er. Source: www.dailytechinfo.org