New Solar Fuels World Record

Monash University - Solar Fuel

Researchers from Australia’s Monash University have used solar cells to emulate most successful method of fuel production – photosynthesis – and created a device that splits water into a fuel with world record efficiency.

The new system uses solar power to drive an electrochemical process that separates hydrogen and oxygen in water, generating hydrogen fuel at more than 22 per cent efficiency and breaking previous records of 18 per cent.

In findings published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, scientists from the Monash School of Chemistry demonstrated their artificial photosynthesis water-splitting technique for harvesting renewable fuels.

Using earth-abundant nickel as a catalyst and commercial solar cells as a power source, the team were able to harvest hydrogen at a record efficiency rate of 22.4 per cent. A level of 10% is considered to have practical impact and while some other systems have reached higher efficiencies than that, they are often based on precious metal catalysts; or provide only limited stability.

The Monash device was designed to address the need for large-scale deployment of hydrogen extraction. It was tested over many daily cycles and in water of varying pH levels, from neutral to alkaline – including river water – and is capable of further optimisation according to the researchers.

“Electrochemical splitting of water could provide a cheap, clean and renewable source of hydrogen as the ultimately sustainable fuel. This latest breakthrough is significant in that it takes us one step further towards this becoming a reality,” said lead researcher, Professor Leone Spiccia.

Splitting water is considered a breakthrough area of chemical research, with hydrogen fuel capable of powering everything from emissions-free electric cars to solar storage systems. But the energy-intense nature of hydrogen extraction meant the process had little practical impact.

Co-author of the work, Professor Doug MacFarlane, leader of the Energy Program of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at Monash, said that a device that produces no carbon emissions could help revolutionise the global energy industry.

“Hydrogen can be used to generate electricity directly in fuel cells. Cars driven by fuel cell electric engines are becoming available from a number of car manufacturers. Hydrogen could even be used as an inexpensive energy storage technology at the household level to store energy from roof-top solar cells,” Professor MacFarlane said.

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