Chemistry researchers from University of Adelaide developed tiny metallic particles that serve as a platform for producing clean, effective and cost-saving hydrogen energy.
The researchers are trying to use metal nanoparticles as effective catalysts, agents that fasten up chemical reactions and reduce the amount of energy needed to disintegrate water into oxygen and hydrogen using solar radiation. This is headed by Greg Metha, associate professor of the chemistry department, who stated that hydrogen produced directly from solar radiation offers a reusable source of energy. The findings will enhance global research in transforming solar energy into portable chemical energy, she added.
The team is experimenting on metal nanoparticle properties and their synthesis and also to analyze catalytic property at the molecular level. Metal clusters measuring in size one-quarter of a nanometer that is less than 10 atoms are used for conducting research.
According to Metha, the tiny metallic clusters exhibit excellent catalytic property. The team has identified methods for producing these tiny magical clusters. Understanding their basic chemical activity helped to use them as catalysts in chemical reactions which are beneficial to the environment and industry, said Metha.
Jason Alvino, a PhD student, is engaged in the process of using solar energy to disintegrate water into hydrogen and oxygen, presently not feasible for industrial development. But, this splitting process of water involves huge amount of energy and is quite costly. Hence solar radiation is used as the energy source to avoid carbon emissions and also the clusters perform effectively as a catalyst to enhance the process. The main goal is to obtain hydrogen from water as an inexpensive portable energy source.
Metha stated that these catalysts are also used to enhance other industrial chemical reactions using solar radiation, for example conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol or methane using water.
Source: http://www.adelaide.edu.au