Hydrogen production from water has been researched widely to use it as an alternative to fuel. Even though the intention is to reduce environmental pollution, most of the processes are less efficient and produce large amounts of CO2 emissions. However, recent research reveals that MOF can boost photocatalytic hydrogen production.
A collaboration by Prof. Kyriakos Stylianou of the Oregon State University, College of Science, and his team of researchers has created a photocatalyst that enables high-speed and efficient hydrogen production. The research shows that the new tool can be useful against GHG emissions and climate change.
Prof. Stylianou said, “This study highlights the potential of MOF-derived metal oxide heterojunctions as photocatalysts for practical hydrogen production, contributing to the development of sustainable and efficient energy solutions.”
Highlights
- In 1 hour, a gram of RTTA-1 produced more than 10,700 hydrogen micromoles.
- The process used photons at an impressive rate of 10%, which means, that every 10 out of 100 photons hitting RTTA-1, contributed to hydrogen production.
In this study, to derive a metal oxide heterojunction, researchers used a MOF. The derived heterojunction is a combination of 2 materials that have complementary properties. With it, they make a catalyst that efficiently and quickly splits water into hydrogen when exposed to sunlight.
They refer to this heterojunction as RTTA and it features MOF-derived ruthenium oxide and titanium oxide. These oxides are doped with nitrogen and sulfur. After testing multiple RTTAs with various amounts of oxides, they found a winner.
Professor Stylianou said, “Among various RTTA materials, RTTA-1, with the lowest ruthenium oxide content, exhibited the fastest hydrogen production rate and a high quantum yield.”
MOFs consist of positively charged metal ions and organic linker molecules. They also have adjustable structures and small pores. Moreover, the properties of MOFs are determined by the components used in their design.
Here’s another method for cost-effective green hydrogen production with active MXenes, says KIST researchers.
Non-Sustainable Methods of Hydrogen Production
The methane-steam reforming method is a commonly used conventional method of deriving hydrogen from natural gas. This in whole is a carbon-producing process. This method involves electrocatalysis, which is running electricity through the catalyst. Not only is this method polluting the environment, but it is also expensive. Per kilogram of hydrogen production costs about $1.50 and $5 for 1 kg of green hydrogen generation.
In terms of the materials used in new research, Prof. Stylianou said, “Ruthenium oxide is not cheap but the amount used in our photocatalyst is minimal. For industrial applications, if a catalyst shows good stability and reproducibility, the cost of this small amount of ruthenium oxide becomes less important.”
Source: Oregon State University research uncovers better way to produce green hydrogen
