Atomic-scale catalysts may produce cheap hydrogen
Jan. 22, 2014 — Researchers at North Carolina State University have shown that a one-atom thick film of molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) may work as an effective catalyst for creating hydrogen. The work opens a new door for the production of cheap hydrogen.
Share This:
Hydrogen holds great promise as an energy source, but the production of hydrogen from water electrolysis -- freeing hydrogen from water with electricity -- currently relies in large part on the use of expensive platinum catalysts. The new research shows that MoS2 atomically thin films are also effective catalysts for hydrogen production and -- while not as efficient as platinum -- are relatively inexpensive.
"We found that the thickness of the thin film is very important," says Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and senior author of a paper describing the work. "A thin film consisting of a single layer of atoms was the most efficient, with every additional layer of atoms making the catalytic performance approximately five times worse."
The effect of the thin films' thickness came as a surprise to researchers, because it has long been thought that catalysis normally takes place along the edges of the material. Because thin films have very little 'edge,' conventional wisdom held that thin films were essentially catalytically inactive.
But the researchers discovered that a material's thickness is important because the thinner the MoS2 thin film is, the more conductive it becomes -- and the more conductive it becomes, the more effective it is as a catalyst.
"The focus has been on creating catalysts with a large 'edge' side," Cao says. "Our work indicates that researchers may want to pay more attention to a catalyst's conductivity."
Cao developed the technique for creating high-quality MoS2 thin films at the atomic scale in 2013. The current production of hydrogen from the atomically thin film is powered by electricity. His team is working to develop a solar-powered water-splitting device that uses the MoS2 thin films to create hydrogen.
Welcome to SUV System Ltd!
SUV System Ltd is ISO 90012008 Certified electronics distributor with 10 years of experiences.
We have built up long term business relationship with about many companies which are stockers and authorized agents. we have a steady and reliable supply to meet customer's demands to the greatest extent .Confidently, we are able to lower your cost and support your business with our years of professional service.
SUV System Ltd is Electronic Components Distributor Supplies,Find Quality Electronic Components Supplies Products IC(Integrated Circuits),Connectors,Capacitor,Resistors,Diodes,Transistors,LED at Suvsystem.com. Sourcing Other Energy, Environment, Excess Inventory Products from Manufacturers and Suppliers at Suvsystem.com
Electronic Components distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com
Connectors Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Connectors-1.html
IC Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/IC(Integrated-Circuits)-1.html
LED Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/LED-1.html
Capacitor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Capacitor-1.html
Transistor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Transistors-1.html
Resistor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Resistors-1.html
Diode Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Diodes-1.html
SUV System Ltd insists on the managing faith ofsincereness,speciality,foresight, win-win,so we build up stable-relationship customers located all over the world, including the States, Europe, Argentina, UAE, Malaysia, Australia,and India etc
we are focus on the following fields,and hope we can help you.
Chip Inductors High Precision Resistors Industrial IC HARRIS IC Metal Can Packages Transistors LINEAR IC Chip Ferrite Beads Current Sensors Resistors ON Transistors Resistor Arrays TOSHIBA Diodes MURATA IC TI IC Diodes Inc Electronic News NXP Transistors AD IC Civil IC Other Parts IR transistor Rectifier Diodes Xilinx IC Fairchild Semiconductor Transistors Atmel IC INTERSIL IC PANASONIC Resistors Renesas parts IC Voltage Regulators Transistors MOTOROLA IC Resistor Networks YAGEO Resistors Schottky Diodes Microchip IC Chip Fuses ELPIDA IC NS IC Discrete Semiconductor Transistors DIODES Transistors Zener Diodes Texas Instruments(TI) IC
http://www.suvsystem.com/a/9562.aspx
