Scientists from Trinity have taken a giant stride towards solving a riddle that would provide the world with entirely renewable, clean energy from which water would be the only waste product.
Reducing humanity’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is arguably the greatest challenge facing 21stcentury civilisation – especially given the ever-increasing global population and the heightened energy demands that come with it.
One beacon of hope is the idea that we could use renewable electricity to split water (H2O) to produce energy-rich hydrogen (H2), which could then be stored and used in fuel cells. This is an especially interesting prospect in a situation where wind and solar energy sources produce electricity to split water, as this would allow us to store energy for use when those renewable sources are not available.
The essential problem, however, is that water is very stable and requires a great deal of energy to break up. A particularly major hurdle to clear is the energy or “overpotential” associated with the production of oxygen, which is the bottleneck reaction in splitting water to produce H2.
Although certain elements are effective at splitting water, such as Ruthenium or Iridium (two of the so-called noble metals of the periodic table), these are prohibitively expensive for commercialisation. Other, cheaper options tend to suffer in terms of their efficiency and/or their robustness. In fact, at present, nobody has discovered catalysts that are cost-effective, highly active and robust for significant periods of time.
So, how do you solve such a riddle? Stop before you imagine lab coats, glasses, beakers and funny smells; this work was done entirely through a computer.
By bringing together chemists and theoretical physicists, the Trinity team behind the latest breakthrough combined chemistry smarts with very powerful computers to find one of the “holy grails” of catalysis.
The team, led by Professor Max García-Melchor, made a crucial discovery when investigating molecules which produce oxygen: Science had been underestimating the activity of some of the more reactive catalysts and, as a result, the dreaded “overpotential” hurdle now seems easier to clear. Furthermore, in refining a long-accepted theoretical model used to predict the efficiency of water splitting catalysts, they have made it immeasurably easier for people (or super-computers) to search for the elusive “green bullet” catalyst.
Lead author, Michael Craig, Trinity, is excited to put this insight to use.
He said:
We know what we need to optimise now, so it is just a case of finding the right combinations.
The team aims to now use artificial intelligence to put a large number of earth-abundant metals and ligands (which glue them together to generate the catalysts) in a melting pot before assessing which of the near-infinite combinations yield the greatest promise.
In combination, what once looked like an empty canvas now looks more like a paint-by-numbers as the team has established fundamental principles for the design of ideal catalysts.
Professor Max García-Melchor added:
Given the increasingly pressing need to find green energy solutions it is no surprise that scientists have, for some time, been hunting for a magical catalyst that would allow us to split water electrochemically in a cost-effective, reliable way.
However, it is no exaggeration to say that before now such a hunt was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.We are not over the finishing line yet, but we have significantly reduced the size of the haystack and we are convinced that artificial intelligence will help us hoover up plenty of the remaining hay.
This research is hugely exciting for a number of reasons and it would be incredible to play a role in making the world a more sustainable place. Additionally, this shows what can happen when researchers from different disciplines come together to apply their expertise to try to solve a problem that affects each and every one of us.
Professor Max García-Melchor is an Ussher Assistant Professor in Chemistry at Trinity and senior author on the landmark research that has just been published in a leading international journal, Nature Communications.
Learn more: Scientists take giant stride towards entirely renewable energy
The Latest on: Water splitting
[google_news title=”” keyword=”water splitting” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Water splitting
- 141 mm rain in 72 hours raises Rabindra Sarobar water level, rowers relievedon May 9, 2024 at 3:47 pm
Heavy rain in Kolkata replenishes water at Rabindra Sarobar, bringing relief to rowers. Rowing course water level increases after 141mm rain in 72 hours. Rowers had faced challenges due to low water ...
- DC Water repairs Northwest water main break; boil water advisory impacting businesseson May 9, 2024 at 7:39 am
DC Water said Thursday morning that crews repaired a water main break that prompted a boil water advisory for thousands of customers Wednesday. The advisory went into effect May 8 after DC Water found ...
- Mossyrock water system receives $265,000 in state funds for improvementson May 8, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Lewis County Water and Sewer System District No. 6, which operates around the greater Mossyrock area, has received $264,500 in state grant and loan funds to improve the system's capacity and ...
- New Study May Reveal Why Venus Has Almost No Wateron May 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Electrons in the atmosphere find these ions, and recombine to split the ions in two. In the process, hydrogen atoms zip away and may even escape into space entirely—robbing Venus of one of the two ...
- Crews to close I-12 East at I-10/I-12 split Friday nighton May 8, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Officials in the Town of Killian are sending more water samples to a state lab in Amite as they work to deep clean the town’s only well. The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating the death of ...
- Venus Unveiled: The Mystery of Water Loss Revealedon May 7, 2024 at 1:40 pm
When HCO+ is split apart after combining with an electron, the now-free hydrogen atoms use the CO to catapult into space at incredible speeds, leading to Venus slowly losing its hydrogen, and ...
- Why Colorado River basin states are split on long-term plan to manage its wateron May 6, 2024 at 3:18 pm
The Upper and Lower basin states are split on a long-term plan to manage Lake Powell and Lake Mead, but meetings between the two sides are expected to pick up this month.
- Venus has almost no water: A new study may reveal whyon May 6, 2024 at 12:55 pm
Billions of years ago, Venus may have harbored as much water as Earth. Today, almost all of it has disappeared. A new study may help to explain why.
- As court overturns a lot-splitting law, SB 9, one early adopter asks whyon May 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
But it requires the two lots to be split somewhat evenly ... He addressed easements, sewer lines, power lines, where water would flow when it rains, etc. Then he brought in an architect, which ...
- ‘$30 for frozen water?!’: Viewers split after woman buys ‘special’ ice balls from Erewhonon April 28, 2024 at 5:59 am
I don’t even drink alcohol. I’m just an idiot,” Dushaj said. “… It’s supposed to be made out of really special minerals that won’t water down your alcohol or something.” While neither the Erewhon nor ...
via Bing News