IIT Guwahati develops low-cost alternatives to make hydrogen from water

IIT Guwahati researchers develop novel materials that can use sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. 

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers are developing novel materials that can use sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. A research team led by Mohammad Qureshi from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Guwahati has developed cheaper alternatives to the ‘noble metals’ currently used and could lead to cost-effective solar-powered hydrogen generators.  

While the commonly known ‘solar cells’ convert light directly into electrical energy, there is another type of sunlight-powered energy conversion system called ‘PhotoElectroChemical’ (PEC) Cells that have elicited attention in recent times due to their direct production of fuels in combination of electrical energy. 

PEC cells use solar energy to split simple and safe compounds such as water into hydrogen and oxygen, hydrogen being a high-energy fuel that can be stored and used as needed. These cells are therefore considered the ‘Holy Grail’ to a carbon-free hydrogen economy. 

Mohammad Qureshi said, “Despite the promise, PEC cells are not yet a practical solution to the energy crisis because of the scientific bottlenecks such as the sluggishness of the water-oxidation process.”  

He said, “Catalysts are used to activate the water-splitting process but these catalysts are expensive metals such as platinum, iridium and ruthenium, among others, which render the cells impractical.”  

What will be the benefits of the research? 

• Combination of semiconductors  which are impeded by their energy level mis-match for carrier  transportation can use this approach as a model system 
• Semiconductors with sluggish  water oxidation kinetics can transform into materials with faster  kinetics 
• The  research will act as  a  model system to understand the basics of energy transfers among the  semiconductors 

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