Biopolymer-Coated Nanocatalyst Could Drive a Hydrogen Fuel-Based Future
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com / peterschreiber.media
A newly devised nanorod catalyst could help water splitting by sunlight become a viable and eco-friendly route to hydrogen fuel.
Humanity’s consumption of fossil fuels drives massive detrimental changes to the environment, releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that are fueling the climate change crisis. Thus, a long-term sustainable alternative fuel source that is environmentally friendly is desperately needed.
One possible alternative for fossil fuels that has been proposed by researchers for some time is hydrogen (H2). The Universe’s most abundant element, hydrogen, is a high-energy-density molecule, and when it is used as a fuel, it produces only water as a by-product making it a clean alternative to fossil fuels too.
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IMAGE: To realize a hydrogen fuel-based future, it is necessary to be able to produce it efficiently in an eco-friendly manner view more
Credit: Incheon National University
To combat climate change, shifting from fossil fuels to clean and sustainable energy sources is imperative. A popular candidate in this regard is hydrogen, an eco-friendly fuel that produces only water when used. However, the efficient methods of hydrogen production are usually not eco-friendly. The eco-friendly alternative of splitting water with sunlight to produce hydrogen is inefficient and suffers from low stability of the photocatalyst (material that facilitates chemical reactions by absorbing light). How does one address the issue of developing a stable and efficient photocatalyst?
Korean Scientists Invest Transparent Solar Panels to Be Used on Phones
A team of scientists led by a Korean professor invented new transparent solar panels that can eventually be used to charge smartphones.
Professor Joondong Kim and his colleagues from the Incheon National University in Korea, recently published their latest invention in the Journal of Power Sources on Jan. 1, according to Science Daily.
Kim and his team used two potential semiconductor materials for their invention: titanium dioxide (TiO2) and nickel oxide (NiO).
Titanium dioxide, a non-toxic and environment-friendly material, is a well-known semiconductor that contains strong electrical properties and is widely used in making solar cells. It can also absorb ultraviolet (UV) light while letting all the other visible light through.
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Breakthroughs in Wireless Charging Extend Across New Zealand And Even to the Moon
December 14, 2020 by Jake Hertz
2020 has slowed down many tech advances, but not wireless power transfer.
Wireless charging has seen some major advances over the past decade, and this trend has continued faithfully into this year.
In the past few months, researchers have found ways to maximize power transfer in a multiple-transmitter wireless charging system. Additionally, developers have pushed the bounds of proximity in wireless charging, with a company in New Zealand assessing long-range coverage and an aerospace startup sending a wireless charging system to the moon.