A new discovery by Penn State researchers may lead to cheaper clean-energy technologies. The research team, led by Raymond Schaak, a PSU chemistry professor, found that an important chemical reaction that generates hydrogen from water is effectively triggered by a nanoparticle made of nickel and phosphorus.
The finding is important because nickel and phosphorus are cheap and abundant. Up until now, clean energy applications that require hydrogen – including some fuel cells and solar cells – have relied upon platinum, which as anyone who has ever shopped for an engagement ring can tell you, is costly and rare.
Hydrogen is a great energy carrier, Schaak explains, and to make its production practical, scientists have been hunting for a way to trigger the required chemical reactions with an inexpensive catalyst. “It turns out that nanoparticles of nickel phosphide are indeed active for producing hydrogen and are comparable to the best known alternatives to platinum,” he says.
For now, says Schaak, there are no immediate plans to commercialize the research, although the team has filed a patent application. But the research continues: “The goal now is to further improve the performance of these nanoparticles and to understand what makes them function the way they do,” says Schaak. “Our team members believe that our success with nickel phosphide can pave the way toward the discovery of other new catalysts that also are comprised of Earth-abundant materials. Insights from this discovery may lead to even better catalysts in the future.”
Source: Raymond Schaak, PSU
Writer: Elise Vider