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An international study led by Flinders University in Australia has advanced nanoscale chemistry to further develop sustainable and efficient generation of hydrogen from water using solar power.
An international research team has discovered a new class of kinetically stable ‘core and shell Sn(II)-perovskite’ oxide solar material, which in the future, could be a potential catalyst for the critical oxygen evolution reaction in producing pollution-free hydrogen energy.
Combined with a catalyst for water splitting, developed by US-based Baylor University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Paul Maggard, the study paves the way toward carbon-free green hydrogen technologies using non-greenhouse-gas-emitting forms of power with high-performing, affordable electrolysis.
The results from the study have been published in the peer-reviewed American Chemical Society (ACS) Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
The new paper features input by Flinders University and University of Adelaide experts, including co-author Professor of Chemistry Greg Metha, who is also involved in exploring the photocatalytic activity of metal clusters on oxide surfaces in reactor technologies, and Universität Münster in Germany.
Flinders University College of Science and Engineering Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology Professor Gunther Andersson said the latest study is an important step forwards in understanding how tin compounds can be stabilised and effective in water.
Baylor University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Paul Maggard said the reported material points to a novel chemical strategy for absorbing the broad energy range of sunlight and using it to drive fuel-producing reactions at its surfaces.
The research outlines how the use of tin and oxygen compounds are already used in a variety of applications, including catalysis, diagnostic imaging and therapeutic drugs, saying however, that Sn(II) compounds are reactive with water and dioxygen, which can limit their technological applications.
Global solar photovoltaic research is focusing on developing cost-effective, high performance perovskite generation systems as an alternative to conventional existing silicon and other panels.
Low-emission hydrogen can be produced from water through electrolysis (when an electric current splits water into hydrogen and oxygen) or thermochemical water splitting, a process which also can be powered by concentrated solar power or waste heat from nuclear power reactors.
Solar-driven processes use light as an agent for hydrogen production and is a potential alternative for generating industrial-scale hydrogen. |
