A discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may represent a significant advance in the quest to create a “hydrogen economy” that would use this abundant element to store and transfer energy.
Theoretically, hydrogen is the ultimate non-carbon, non-polluting fuel for storing intermittent energy from the wind or sun. When burned for energy, hydrogen produces water but no carbon dioxide. Practically speaking, producing hydrogen from water, and then storing and using the gas, have proven difficult.
The new study, now published online at the Journal of the American Chemical Society, introduces a new catalyst structure that can facilitate the use of electricity to produce hydrogen gas from water.
Significantly, the catalyst avoids the rare, expensive metal platinum that is normally required for this reaction. (Catalysts speed up chemical reactions without themselves being consumed.)
The material under study, molybdenum disulfide, contains two common elements, notes Mark Lukowski, a Ph.D. student working with associate professor Song Jin in the UW-Madison chemistry department. “Most people have tried to reduce the cost of the catalyst by making small particles that use less platinum, but here we got rid of the platinum altogether and still got reasonably high performance.”
The research group has produced milligram quantities of the catalyst, “but in principle you could scale this up,” says Lukowski. “Molybdenum disulfide is a commercially available product. To control purity and structure, we go through the trouble of synthesizing it from the bottom up, but you could buy it today.”
To make the new material, Lukowski and Jin deposit nanostructures of molybdenum disulfide on a disk of graphite and then apply a lithium treatment to create a different structure with different properties.
Just as carbon can form diamond for jewelry and graphite for writing, molybdenum disulfide can be a semiconductor or a metallic phase, depending on structure. When the compound is grown on the graphite, it is a semiconductor, but it becomes metallic after the lithium treatment. Lukowski and Jin discovered that the metallic phase has far greater catalytic properties.
“Like graphite, which is made up of a stack of sheets that easily separate, molybdenum disulfide is made up of individual sheets that can come apart, and previous studies have shown that the catalytically active sites are located along the edges of the sheets,” says Lukowski.
“The lithium treatment both causes the semiconducting-to-metallic phase change and separates the sheets, creating more edges. We have taken away the limitation from molybdenum disulfide and made the active sites both more pervasive and more reactive.”
The Latest Bing News on:
Hydrogen fuel
- Hyundai Motor slips to No. 2 in global hydrogen car sales in Q1on May 12, 2024 at 10:29 pm
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, slipped to second place in terms of global hydrogen vehicle sales in the first quarter, data showed Monday. Hyundai Motor sold 691 hydrogen fuel-cell ...
- Trucks on Hydrogen Get a Big Battery Upgrade: Could Pickups Be Next?on May 12, 2024 at 9:06 pm
Toyota is stepping up its game in hydrogen fuel by incorporating a significant amount of batteries into its latest production-bound semi-truck version. Traditionally, hydrogen fuel cells have been ...
- Fuel cell is pivotal for Taiwan's hydrogen industry, according to DIGITIMES Researchon May 9, 2024 at 8:20 pm
In the realm of "decarbonization"-spawned green business opportunities, the spotlight shines brightly on low-carbon hydrogen, an arena deemed indispensable in the medium to long term. Taiwan has ...
- UK Shelves Hydrogen Town in Blow for Using Fuel in Home Heatingon May 9, 2024 at 7:20 am
The UK government scrapped plans for a “hydrogen town” pilot, in another setback for the country’s plans to use the fuel to decarbonize its heating systems.
- Hyzon and New Way Unveil North America’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Refuse Truckon May 9, 2024 at 4:35 am
Hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles maker Hyzon Motors and New Way Trucks, the largest privately held refuse equipment manufacturer in North America, unveiled North America’s first hydrogen ...
- Welcome aboard the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyachton May 7, 2024 at 8:12 am
'Project 821' is an enticing statement piece for the aspiring, eco-conscious Bond villain.
- Feadship Launches World’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Superyachton May 6, 2024 at 3:08 pm
This new, 390-foot-long superyacht (designed by RWD with owner’s representation by Edmiston), can provide carbon-emission-free power from green ...
- Built for Bill Gates: Feadship Project 821 Is World's First Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Megayachton May 5, 2024 at 2:57 am
Project 821 had been kept under wraps since commissioned, and with good reason: this is the first Feadship yacht powered by a pure green hydrogen fuel source ...
- Toyota advancing hydrogen fuel cells for cars, trucks, and even stationary poweron May 4, 2024 at 7:06 pm
Alternative power for cars typically means running on battery power, but Toyota's fanning out its alt-fuel development and sticking with hydrogen fuel cells as one option.
- What do EPA power plant rule changes have to do with hydrogen fuel?on May 1, 2024 at 9:00 am
The Environmental Protection Agency is considering new tech to establish pollution standards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is thinking about exclu ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Hydrogen fuel
[google_news title=”” keyword=”hydrogen fuel” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Hydrogen economy
- Hydrogen-powered trucks in China to cost less than their diesel peers by 2027: Refire Groupon May 12, 2024 at 4:30 pm
China's hydrogen economy is currently moving from a policy-driven one to a market-driven one, providing a huge boost to the industry: Refire CEO The country has reduced the manufacturing cost of ...
- Researchers think old oil and gas reservoirs could be repurposed to store clean energy: 'Hydrogen would be good for seasonal and long-term storage'on May 12, 2024 at 3:15 am
Researchers from New Mexico's Sandia National Laboratories have a new tenant in mind for dirty gas and oil's old underground digs. By moving hydrogen into the subterranean reservoirs, the experts ...
- Somssich: Green hydrogen essential for energy revolutionon May 12, 2024 at 2:00 am
In fact, Green Hydrogen (G-H2) will be a very essential player worldwide helping to decarbonize many energy sectors that other technologies aren’t able to address. That is why I am encouraged to hear ...
- Manganese sprinkled with iridium: a quantum leap in green hydrogen productionon May 10, 2024 at 10:55 am
Researchers report a new method that reduces the amount of iridium needed to produce hydrogen from water by 95%, without altering the rate of hydrogen production. This breakthrough could revolutionize ...
- Green Energy Breakthrough: Catalyst Slashes Iridium Use by 95% in Hydrogen Electrolyzerson May 9, 2024 at 11:01 am
A breakthrough in hydrogen production has been achieved by a Japanese research team, reducing the need for iridium by 95% without compromising efficiency, paving the way for sustainable, large-scale ...
- AltaGas outlines economic potential of ‘green’ hydrogen plant at former Intalco siteon May 9, 2024 at 8:21 am
AltaGas is in line for funds from a total $1 billion that the U.S. Department of Energy has promised hydrogen producers in the Pacific Northwest. “We know that we stand to get a healthy sum of that,” ...
- California’s Dream of a Green Hydrogen Future Could Backfireon May 9, 2024 at 2:30 am
Backers argue that California must move quickly to reap the benefits of federal incentives. Guidelines for the hydrogen hub money require states to build up their supply and delivery of clean hydrogen ...
- Why Attending the 2024 Hydrogen Technology Expo is Essentialon May 8, 2024 at 9:43 am
Houston, Texas, is poised to become the focal point of the hydrogen and clean energy industry as it prepares to host the Hydrogen Technology Expo North America ...
- 'Hydrogen Fever’ Erupts after Discoveries of Large Deposits of the Clean Gason May 8, 2024 at 7:30 am
Natural hydrogen is hydrogen gas in its molecular form (H 2) that is generated through natural processes. Formed deep within Earth, it may get trapped on its way to the surface, creating accumulations ...
- Chesterfield: Virginia moves into hydrogen economy with Danish investmenton May 1, 2024 at 8:45 am
A Danish chemicals firm’s more $400 million investment in a new Chesterfield County plant will bring Virginia into the business of making hydrogen as a clean energy source.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Hydrogen economy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”hydrogen economy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]