STANFORD, Calif., - Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have shown for the first time that a cheap catalyst can split water and generate hydrogen gas for hours on end in the harsh environment of a commercial device, according to the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Continue reading original article
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
October 15, 2019-It has been a big month for hydrogen as Stanford researchers released news about their successful extraction of the element using an inexpensive catalyst. In September, Australia's Monash University replaced pricey iridium with an inexpensive catalyst itself to extract hydrogen through electrolysis. In addition, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, in coordination with Oregon State University, found a replacement for platinum to produce hydrogen from salt water this fall. That's big news for people interested in finding a sustainable way to move people around, among other vital uses.
"Hydrogen gas is a massively important industrial chemical for making fuel and fertilizer, among other things," said Thomas Jaramillo, director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, who led the research team. "It's also a clean, high-energy-content molecule that can be used in fuel cells or to store energy generated by variable power sources like solar and wind. But most of the hydrogen produced today is made with fossil fuels, adding to the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. We need a cost-effective way to produce it with clean energy."
Related: Electrolysis breakthrough could solve the hydrogen conundrum
Related: New catalyst outshines platinum for producing hydrogen
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
