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Make hydrogen from sunlight with titanium dioxide
Production, Dec 14 2008 (The Hydrogen Journal)
- Researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, have managed to make hydrogen from sunlight and water, using titanium dioxide on a laboratory bench, according to an article published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, have managed to make hydrogen from sunlight and water, using titanium dioxide on a laboratory bench, according to an article published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
An enzyme (biological catalyst) is bound to the titanium dioxide. A light harvesting dye is also used.
"There is a search for catalysts that do not use rare, expensive metals such as platinum," says Erwin Reisner, from the research group. "Enzymes have long been a source of inspiration."
Electrolysis is normally made using platinum as a catalyst, but this is rare and expensve. Other experiments have been made using hydrogenase enzymes containing nickel and iron, but these are inhibited by oxygen and hydrogen which they prodce.
The team used a hydrogenase enzyme which contains selenium, which binds strongly to titanium dioxide, and is more tolerant to oxygen and hydrogen.
