Hydrogen as Fuel: Innovative breakthrough for producing Hydrogen using Nanomaterial Graphene
Fig: Graphene ( source: wikipedia)
Researchers at
Argonne National Laboratory
have recently developed a mini hydrogen generator that utilises light and
two-dimensional graphene platform to increase the production of hydrogen. In
this research, they found an unknown property of graphene in which two
dimensional chain of carbon atoms can transfer electrons into another substance
apart from giving and receiving electrons. This is unlike from the conventional
process in which heat energy is used to generate steam to transfer hydrogen
atom from oxygen. Natural gas which is a fossil fuel is burned in bulk amount
to produce steam. Hence, in the new method fossil fuel is not burned,
increasing possibility of using hydrogen as transportation fuel in the future. In
this newly developed mini generator, both
the bR protein and the graphene platform absorb visible light. Electrons from
this reaction are transmitted to the titanium dioxide on which these two
materials are anchored, making the titanium dioxide sensitive to visible light.
Simultaneously, light from the
green end of the solar spectrum triggers the bR protein to begin pumping
protons along its membrane. These protons
make their way to the platinum nanoparticles which sit on top of the titanium
dioxide. Hydrogen is produced by the interaction of the protons and electrons
as they converge on the platinum [1].This innovation reflects that
nanotechnology used with biology can offer solutions that can resolve difficult
issue of burning fossil fuels for extracting and utilising the energy. The
solution is developed from the need of harnessing power of hydrogen energy in a
way that it’s production does not use fossil fuel and complete process of
producing and utilising hydrogen in an environmental friendly way.
1. Source: Nano sized hydrogen
generator uses light and two-dimensional grapheme
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