Nanocrystals in combination with nickel catalysts increase light production hydrogen production

Hydrogen is a clean and efficient fuel that can be easily converted to electricity. However, the disadvantage is that the preparation process is inefficient and costly. According to the report of the Physicist Organization Network on November 8, recently, a chemical group at the University of Rochester has recently combined a nanocrystal with an inexpensive nickel catalyst to improve a light hydrogen production system that can be produced at a lower cost. More hydrogen. The related papers were published in the "Science" magazine published this month.

The study was led by Richard Eisenberg, professor of chemistry at the University of Rochester. Eisenberg has been engaged in solar energy system research for 20 years. In his previous research system, the flow rate of hydrogen atoms has reached 10,000 without any intermediate replacement. After the combination of nanocrystals, the flow rate of hydrogen atoms exceeded. 600000.

One of the disadvantages of the existing light hydrogen method is the lack of sustainability. Todd Krauss, one of the authors of the paper, said: "Normally, it is the organic molecules in the photocatalytic system that capture light energy. But this process lasts only a few hours, up to a day." In addition, the traditional photocatalyst The agent is made of platinum and other precious metals. Another researcher, Paderick Heland, said: "If we use more common, cheaper and less toxic metals, such as nickel, production will be more sustainable."

The team has solved these problems by combining nickel catalysts with nanocrystals. Their new process is very similar to other photocatalytic systems and requires chromophores (light absorbing substances), catalysts that bind protons and electrons, and a solution (water in this study). Claus provided a cadmium selenide quantum dot (also called nanocrystal) as a chromophore, and Helan provided a nickel catalyst (nickel nitrate). They coated the nanocrystals with dihydrolipoic acid to dissolve them, then added ascorbic acid to the water to supply electrons.

The photons emitted by the light source excite the electrons in the nanocrystals and transfer the electrons to the nickel catalyst. When two electrons are obtained, they will combine with protons on the surface of the catalyst to form a hydrogen molecule. This system is very stable and can continuously produce hydrogen until it is unplugged after two weeks. "If we are more patient, it may take longer," said Helan.

The efficient use of sunlight to produce clean, carbon-free energy for transport and other electrical appliances is often seen as a “holy grail” in the field of energy science. At present, their work is still in the "basic research phase", and the costs must be reduced to the same level as other energy production systems. It will take several years for research to become commercialized.

Helan said that the price of nickel recently was 8 US dollars / pound, and platinum has reached 24,000 US dollars / pound. “Every industry that needs a lot of hydrogen will benefit from it, including the pharmaceutical and fertilizer industries.” (Chang Lijun)

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