Scientists have found a way to turn metal waste into a highly efficient catalyst to produce hydrogen from water; This is a discovery that could make hydrogen production more sustainable.

A team of researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry and Engineering has discovered that the chip surface, a by-product of the metalworking industry, is textured with tiny steps and grooves at the nanoscale. These tissues can fix platinum or cobalt atoms and create an effective electrocatalyst that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The study was published on: Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that can be used to generate heat or propel vehicles, and the only byproduct of its combustion is water vapor. However, most hydrogen production methods are based on fossil fuel feedstocks. Water electrolysis is one of the most promising environmentally friendly ways to produce hydrogen, as it requires only water and electricity.

The industry faces challenges in water electrolysis because the process requires rare and expensive elements such as platinum to catalyze the splitting of water. Due to the limited global supply and rising prices of precious metals, there is an urgent need for alternative electrocatalytic materials for hydrogen production from water.

Dr. from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry, who led the research team. Hesum Alves Fernandez said: “UK industry alone produces millions of tonnes of metal waste every year. Using scanning electron microscopy we were able to examine the smooth surfaces of stainless steel, titanium or nickel alloy chips.

“To our surprise, we found that the surface had grooves and protrusions that were only tens of nanometers wide. We realized that this nanotextured surface could provide a unique opportunity for the production of electrocatalysts.”

The researchers used magnetron sputtering to create a “rain” of platinum atoms on the chip’s surface. These platinum atoms are then assembled into nanoparticles that fit tightly into nano-sized grooves.

PhD student at the University of Nottingham, who is responsible for analyzing the structure and electrocatalytic activity of the new materials. Madasami Thangamuthu said: “It is surprising that we can produce hydrogen from water using only one tenth of the platinum loading of state-of-the-art commercial catalysts.

“By emitting only 28 micrograms of precious metal per 1 cm² of sawdust, we have managed to create a laboratory electrolyzer that operates at 100% efficiency and produces 0.5 liters of hydrogen per minute from just a single piece of sawdust.”

The group has partnered with AqSorption Ltd, a Nottingham-based company specializing in the design and manufacture of electrolysers, to expand its technology. Professor Andriy Khlobistov, from the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, said: “Electrocatalysts made from wood chips could have a significant impact on the economy. Our unique technology, developed at Nottingham, involves layer-by-layer growth of platinum particles on nano-textured surfaces, solving two main problems.

“Firstly, it enables environmentally friendly hydrogen production using the least possible amount of precious metals, and secondly, it recycles metal waste from the aerospace industry in a single process.”

The Zero Carbon Cluster was established in the East Midlands to accelerate development and innovation in green industries and advanced manufacturing.

Tom Rodden, Professor of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, said: “The development of hydrogen power plants could be an important step towards solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges for a zero-carbon world, particularly transport and manufacturing. industries. “However, the success of this strategy depends on the sustainable production of environmentally friendly hydrogen, for example by splitting water using electrolysis, which requires improvements in material design.”