Nanofoam synthesis method could unlock hydrogen economy

Efficient ways of liberating hydrogen from water are a key part of the so-called hydrogen economy – the long-hyped, but still elusive vision of a society where hydrogen is the key fuel for making energy, rather than hydrocarbons. Electrolysis is the most common process, but water being a very stable molecule, some catalyst is invariably needed to reduce the energy needed to force the separation of hydrogen and oxygen. However, up to now the most effective catalysts available have been based on precious metals like platinum and ruthenium, making the process very expensive.

The breakthrough from the stream at Washington State, in Pullman, Washington, is a method for making large amounts of as high-quality catalyst, based on nickel and iron – much cheaper and more abundant materials than precious metals. The catalyst is in the form of a metal foam with nanometre-scale pores; a highly effective structure, as its ratio of surface area to mass is huge, providing many active sites for the dissociation reaction to take place.