Using sunlight and catalysts to produce hydrogen cleanly and efficiently

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A researcher at the University of Alberta is pioneering a new method to produce hydrogen by harnessing sunlight and semiconductor catalysts to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.


Karthik Shankar from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, an expert in photocatalysis, leads the project. He explains that the semiconductor material is created through a process called thermal condensation polymerization, which uses inexpensive and Earth-abundant resources. This approach could offer a more economical and efficient route to clean energy compared to existing solar technologies. The research, a collaboration with the Technical University of Munich, was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.


The method employs carbon nitride derived from urea, a common fertilizer component, to absorb sunlight. This triggers electrons to move to a higher energy state, creating "electron-hole pairs." If left alone, these quasi-particles would recombine, but when carbon nitride interfaces with a titanium dioxide catalyst, a semiconductor heterojunction forms. This junction prevents recombination, allowing the process to continue efficiently.


The titanium dioxide captures electrons, which then react with protons to produce hydrogen. Meanwhile, the holes interact with hydroxyl ions to generate oxygen. Both carbon nitride and titanium dioxide are abundant and inexpensive materials.


While traditional methods use solar panels to generate electricity followed by electrolysis to split water—an approach that involves considerable energy loss—Shankar's technique uses sunlight directly, improving overall efficiency.


Another advantage of Shankar's design is its ability to work under indirect sunlight. By engineering carbon nitride surfaces with vertically aligned nanowires, the system can capture diffuse light from multiple angles, allowing it to function even on cloudy days.




Energy storage is also addressed through hydrogen fuel, which is dense, portable, and can be compressed for use whenever needed. In contrast, battery technology has advanced more slowly.


Shankar also highlights the environmental and geopolitical drawbacks of traditional solar panel production, which relies heavily on silicon. The manufacturing process for silicon panels demands extremely high temperatures and generates significant emissions. Additionally, a large proportion of commercial silicon comes from China and Russia.


In comparison, carbon nitride is not only more sustainable but also offers excellent chemical resilience, mechanical flexibility, and thermal stability, tolerating several hundred degrees Celsius and resisting numerous acids and bases. Melamine, another widely available chemical, can also be used instead of carbon nitride. In further developments, Shankar’s lab has even produced hydrogen from methanol, offering alternative pathways for hydrogen generation in specific scenarios.
 
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