Nano-Rust Enables Solar Hydrogen Production

(EPFL, July 09, 2013)

Water and some nano-structured iron oxide is all it takes to produce bubbles of solar hydrogen. Using transmission electron microscopy techniques, researchers from EPFL and Technion were able to precisely characterize the movement of the electrons through the nanostructures and to identify the most suitable production process. "The whole point of our approach is to use an exceptionally abundant, stable and cheap material: rust," adds Scott C. Warren, first author of the article published in Nature Materials. The long-term goal is to produce hydrogen – the fuel of the future – in an environmentally friendly and especially competitive way. The researchers are aiming at about $ 6.5 per kilo, which is about a third of today's price.