Novel Approach to Split Water Could Enhance Hydrogen Production

A group of scientists from the Missouri University of Technology and Science and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece have illustrated a more effective, less cost-prohibitive method to separate water into elements of oxygen and hydrogen. Their method could make fuel of hydrogen a more viable source of energy in the future while addressing the technological limitations of introducing renewable and clean energy without diminishing the earth’s natural preserves.

In the study, Dr.Manashi Nath, an associate lecturer of chemistry at Missouri S & T along with her teammates illustrated how a catalyst utilizing the metal nickel tetrahedrally coordinated to selenium in coordination intricate resulted in a more effective method to split water through electrolysis. The use of nickel that the scientists describe as an ‘earth – abundant’ resource could make the procedure of water splitting more feasible as a way to develop clean hydrogen as an energy source from the water.

But the scientific group by Nath and her team members reveal that an electrocatalyst comprising selenium and nickel is able to release oxygen and hydrogen from water in a more effective, less costly manner than any other methods. “Our work reveals that it is feasible to possess a complete water splitting with high production efficacy and stability with an affordable and simple catalyst comprising selenium and Nickel,’ says Nath. “The novelty of such work is two-fold. Firstly, nickel is the primary catalytic center which is known to be earth abundant and secondly, that similar catalyst can be utilized for both oxygen and hydrogen generation that drastically diminishes intricateness and cost of the equipment.

“Very fewer reports are available where the same catalyst can be utilized for both of hydrogen and oxygen production,” adds Nath. “I strongly consider that developing technology for renewable and clean energy generation is critical,” says Nath. “In such quest, substances innovation plays an even bigger role.”

“Being experts, our responsibility is to try to create environmentally friendly novel functional substances with a high – performance for the next generation energy devices,” says Nath. “Such discovery will vitally advantage the search for an effective water splitting catalyst.”