Researchers at Griffith University in Australia are hoping to unlock a catalytic process which will enhance the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen in order to create hydrogen fuel.
The development follows Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy aims to establish Australia’s hydrogen industry as a major global player by 2030.
In new research published in Nature Communications, Professor Huijun Zhao and Dr Yuhai Dou from the Centre for Clean Environment and Energy are the first to fully unleash the power of CoSe2 nanobelts as an electrocatalyst for the oxidation or breakdown of water.
CoSe2 nanobelts are ultrathin sheets made out of a lattice of cobalt (Co) and selenium (Se).
“The nanobelts are so small they have a thickness of about one nanometre, that’s 50,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair,” Dr. Dou said.
“Their thinness hugely increases the surface area and thus reactivity of CoSe2, as only atoms on the surface can react in a solution.”
Both ‘iron doping’, replacing some of the cobalt on the nanobelt with iron, and ‘cobalt vacancy’, removing some of the cobalt when applied individually improve the nanobelt’s ability to speed up reactions to a small degree.
The research identified that when both processes are put together their combined effect substantially increases the power of nanobelts to speed up reactions.
“Our discovery, that by combining these two processes we can push this catalyst to its activity limit, is very exciting. This unlocks not just the catalytic power of CoSe2 nanobelts, but catalysts for all sorts of electrochemical reaction.”
“Most importantly, with hydrogen being an essential part of the Australian government future energy strategy, this work brings Australian capability to meet the challenge of eco-friendly and efficient hydrogen production a step closer to reality.”
