Have you ever imagined a world powered entirely by green hydrogen? 🚀 Well, thanks to an amazing breakthrough by researchers from the Chinese mainland, we're one step closer to making that a reality!
A team of brilliant minds from the University of Science and Technology of China and Wuhan University has set a new record in solar hydrogen production efficiency. They achieved an impressive 10.36% efficiency, sustained for over a month! This milestone, reported by Science and Technology Daily, paves the way for large-scale green hydrogen production, which is a game-changer for clean energy.
So, how did they do it? The researchers designed a novel photoelectrode structure using silicon-based gallium nitride nanowires. This innovative setup allows for high-efficiency solar hydrogen production in a half-cell configuration and maintains stable hydrogen output for more than 800 hours at high current densities. 🕰️
But that's not all! They tackled the long-standing issues of corrosion and catalytic activity decay that plague traditional photoelectrode materials. By loading the structure with gold nanoparticles as a co-catalyst, they enhanced the catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction, preventing the detachment of gold nanoparticles during the reaction process, and ensuring the catalytic activity stays strong.
This breakthrough isn't just a one-hit wonder. The new structure is suitable for mass production and can be extended to other compound semiconductor and catalytic reaction systems. It's expected to play a crucial role in energy conversion and support the global energy transition towards sustainability. 🌍💡
With innovations like this, the future of clean energy looks brighter than ever! Stay tuned for more exciting developments in green technology.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
