Revolutionized hydrogen production.
© 2011 EPFL
Amorphous molybdenum sulfide films as catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen production in water.
Hydrogen is proposed as a major energy carrier for the future world. The cleanest and most sustainable method of hydrogen production is sunlight-driven water splitting. A hydrogen production catalyst is however required. Pt and its composites are the most active catalysts under the conditions envisioned for photochemical water splitting. However, the large scale application of Pt catalysts is limited by their high cost and low abundance. The lab of Prof. Xile Hu (LSCI, laboratory of inorganic synthesis and catalysis) has developed amorphous molybdenum sulfide catalysts that are efficient hydrogen production catalysts. The catalysts are made of abundant and inexpensive materials, and are prepared in a simple, solution-processed, and scalable process.
Daniel Merki, Stéphane Fierro, Heron Vrubel and Xile Hu, Chem. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1SC00117E.