We all know that water splits to produce hydrogen. But, with the soaring oil prices and building concerns for the global warming occurring due to greenhouse gas emissions, the demand for large scale hydrogen production has increased. To meet such commercial demands, a new photo-catalyst has come to stay in the market.
Tokyo University and Nagaoka University of Technology researchers have developed this technology to split water more efficiently under visible light. These findings are reported in the 16 March 2006 issue of Nature.
With oxide with a mixture of rhodium and chromium oxide nano-particles on its surface, the new photo-catalyst is a solid solution of gallium nitride and zinc. The catalyst delivers an overall quantum efficiency of about 2.5% at 420-440 nm wavelengths. Compared to the previous activity of photo-catalytic water-splitting reported, the magnitude of the newly developed catalyst is much higher using visible light.
Via: Green Car Congress
