Nano-catalyst could aid hydrogen production

A team led by chemistry professor Raymond Schaak found that an important chemical reaction that generates hydrogen from water is effectively catalyzed by a nanoparticle composed of nickel and phosphorus.

The results of the research will be published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Schaak explained that the purpose of the nickel phosphide nanoparticle is to help produce hydrogen from water, which is a process that is important for many energy-production technologies, including fuel cells and solar cells.

‘Water is an ideal fuel, because it is cheap and abundant, but we need to be able to extract hydrogen from it,’ Schaak said in a statement.

Hydrogen has a high energy density and is a great energy carrier, Schaak said, but it requires energy to produce. To make its production practical, scientists have been searching for a way to trigger the required chemical reactions with an inexpensive catalyst.

Schaak said this feat is accomplished well by platinum but, because platinum is expensive and relatively rare, he and his team have been searching for alternative materials.