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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