Researchers have inched closer to producing hydrogen from
water to provide cheaper fuel for vehicles and electricity production.
Hydrogen has
tremendous potential as an eco-friendly fuel, but it is expensive to produce.
Now researchers at Princeton University and Rutgers University have moved a
step closer to harnessing nature to produce hydrogen.
Researchers led by
Annabella Selloni, takes inspiration from bacteria that make hydrogen from
water using enzymes called di-iron hydrogenases.
Selloni's team uses
computer models to figure out how to incorporate the magic of these enzymes
into the design of practical synthetic catalysts that humans can use to produce
hydrogen from water.
Selloni and
co-authors present a solution to an issue that has dogged the field: the
catalysts designed so far are susceptible to poisoning by the oxygen present
during the reaction.
By making changes to
the catalyst to improve the stability of the structure in water, the
researchers found that they had also created a catalyst that is tolerant to
oxygen without sacrificing efficiency.
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