Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur, India have developed a series of perovskite-based catalysts capable of efficiently producing hydrogen under ambient conditions. The end application of this research could be in the automotive and energy sectors, according to the statement issued by IIT Jodhpur. The developed catalysts are lanthanides-based perovskite nanocomposite materials for artificial photosynthesis. In the patented method, the researchers have used natural sunlight to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen, using a recyclable catalyst based on low-cost, simple transition metal.
The research team screened over 100 catalyst combinations to develop five sets of catalysts that gave high hydrogen production under sunlight. The catalysts work for wastewater, saline water and brackish water. They are recyclable and can be used multiple times. Lanthanide-based catalytic systems gave the best results and were found effective in continuous pure hydrogen production for 7.5 hours.
“Indigenous sustainable catalyst for large scale green hydrogen production is benchmark innovation for next generation happiness”, said, Dr Rakesh K. Sharma, Principal Investigator and Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, IIT Jodhpur.
The process is simple and works on a broad spectrum of sunlight, and requires no energy source to produce hydrogen. Low cost and high purity could be an essential step towards using hydrogen as a fuel directly in vehicles avoiding fossil fuels and reducing pollution.
The researchers aim to develop a prototype followed by a scale-up for large-scale hydrogen production for end-user applications.
