Washington, July 8 (ANI): Scientists have discovered that water and some nano-structured iron oxide is all it takes to produce bubbles of solar hydrogen.
In the quest for the production of renewable and clean energy, photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) constitute a sort of a Holy Grail.
PECs are devices able of splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen in a single operation, thanks to solar radiation.
Michael Gratzel, Director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces (LPI) at EPFL and inventor of dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells, said that they have already discovered the precious chalice and have reached an important milestone on the path that will lead them forward to profitable industrial applications.
EPFL researchers, working with Avner Rotschild from Technion (Israel), have managed to accurately characterize the iron oxide nanostructures to be used in order to produce hydrogen at the lowest possible cost.
Scott C. Warren, first author of the article, said that the whole point of their approach is to use an exceptionally abundant, stable and cheap material: rust.
At the end of last year, Kevin Sivula, one of the collaborators at the LPI laboratory, presented a prototype electrode based on the same principle. Its efficiency was such that gas bubbles emerged as soon as it was under a light stimulus.
By using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, researchers were able to precisely characterize the movement of the electrons through the cauliflower-looking nanostructures forming the iron oxide particles, laid on electrodes during the manufacturing process.
By comparing several electrodes, whose manufacturing method is now mastered, scientists were able to identify the "champion" structure.
A 10x10 cm prototype has been produced and its effectiveness is in line with expectations.
Evidently, the long-term goal is to produce hydrogen - the fuel of the future - in an environmentally friendly and especially competitive way.
For Michael Gratzel, "current methods, in which a conventional photovoltaic cell is coupled to an electrolyzer for producing hydrogen, cost 15 Euros per kilo at their cheapest and they are aiming at a 5 euro charge per kilo.
The findings are set to be published in Nature Materials. (ANI)
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