Scientists use cobalt catalyst to produce hydrogen from water

Lead author of the research Dr Erwin Reisner, an EPSRC research fellow and head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory at Cambridge University, said: ‘A H₂ evolution catalyst that is active under elevated O₂ levels is crucial if we are to develop an industrial water-splitting process — a chemical reaction that separates the two elements that make up water. A real-world device will be exposed to atmospheric O₂ and will also produce O₂ in situ as a result of water splitting.’

Although hydrogen cannot be used as a ‘direct’ substitute for gasoline or ethanol, it can be used as a fuel in combination with fuel cells, which are already available in cars and buses.

Hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels and it produces carbon dioxide as a by-product, making it neither renewable nor clean. A green process such as sunlight-driven water splitting is required to produce green and sustainable hydrogen.

According to the university, one of the many problems that scientists face is finding an efficient and inexpensive catalyst that can function under real-world conditions: in water, under air and at room temperature.