>
Spotlight October 2023: Improved hydrogen production through novel catalyst made of three metals
Hydrogen is one of the important energy carriers of the future when it comes to climate-relevant energy supply. For example, surplus electricity from wind turbines or solar plants can be converted into hydrogen, allowing the otherwise unused energy to be stored for longer periods. This hydrogen can be used to power trucks and buses for local public transport as well as other vehicles in an environmentally and climate-friendly way, or it can be converted back into electricity. However, the production of hydrogen using electricity has so far been relatively inefficient, so catalysts are being feverishly sought to help improve this process.
One possibility now seems to have been discovered in a novel catalyst. Korean researchers have synthesized this catalyst from the three known metals nickel, palladium and platinum, which enables the production of hydrogen about 8 times better than previous platinum-carbon catalysts. This high activity of the catalyst is possible due to the very small subunits in nanometer size. Nickel/platinum and palladium/platinum interfaces are created, which are arranged in a specific order to each other and thus considerably facilitate the processes of hydrogen production.
Such and other expected developments in catalyst chemistry will help secure future energy supplies and contribute to a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy supply.
Original publication:
Gu, B.S., Dutta, S., Hong, Y.R., Ngome Okello, O.F., Im, H., Ahn, S., Choi, S.Y., Woo Han, J., Ryu, S., and Lee, I.S. (2023). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 62, e202307816.
Weitere Spotlights
Spotlight July 2021: The Path to Digital Material Research – It is never too late to start
Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data…. Have you read these words lately? No, these are not just buzzwords. The digitalisation of science is an evolving topic that is gaining importance with each passing day. That is why this month we would like to introduce you to the article “Digital Transformation in Materials Science: A Paradigm […]
Read moreSpotlight February 2023: New sustainable and promising method to give cotton textiles an antiviral and antibacterial finish
Textiles have been the subject of research into functionalization for many years, especially also to repel bacteria and viruses. Since the development of nanotechnological processes, there have been many attempts to incorporate UV protection with nano-titanium dioxide, or to provide textiles with anti-bacterial properties with nanosilver (see cross-sectional text “Nanoparticles in Textiles”). But nanosilver has […]
Read moreSpotlight November 2021: Safe Materials from Scratch – Safe-by-Design in Materials Research
Advances in the field of materials science continue to amaze us with nanoscale materials with extraordinary chemical, electrical, optical, and numerous other properties. However, some nanoscale materials have different toxicological profiles compared to the same bulk material. Since safety issues are usually addressed just before launching a product into the market, safety issues may be […]
Read moreSpotlight December 2021: Silica nanoparticles improve plant disease resistance
The resistance of plants to various pathogens is often increased in agriculture with various chemicals (“fertilizers”). A new direction is being taken with the use of nanoparticles. These can be sprayed on the plants. In the present study, the model plant Arabidopsis was used to investigate whether silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2) can increase resistance to […]
Read more