Thursday, 24th March 2005 (3208 views)

Gold is being used in a new process that allows hydrogen to be produced from water.

The molecules are so small they cannot be seen under a standard microscope and the research by a team at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories is attracting attention from all around the world.

John Shelnutt, Sandia research team leader, told Nanotech Wire: "The broad objective of the research is to design and fabricate new types of nanoscale devices.

"This investigation is exciting because it promises to provide fundamental scientific breakthroughs in chemical synthesis, self-assembly, electron and energy transfer processes, and photocatalysis. Controlling these processes is necessary to build nanodevices for efficient water splitting, potentially enabling a solar hydrogen-based economy."

The concept is the result of Mr Shelnutt's research into the development of porphyrin nanotubes made from gold and platinum.

Some of the nanotubes can photocatalytically grow metal structures onto tube surfaces to help create a functional nanodevice when exposed to light.

For instance when nanotubes are put into a solution with gold ions and exposed to sunlight their activity causes a reduction of the ions to the metal. Using this approach, researchers have been able to deposit platinum outside a nanotubes and grow a gold nanowire inside the tube.

It is this tube that could split water into oxygen and hydrogen.

To complete the device a nanoparticle of an inorganic photocatalyst which produces oxygen needs to be attached to the gold contact ball that naturally forms at the end of the tube.

The gold wire and ball then serves as a conductor for the electrons and the gold conductor keeps the oxygen and hydrogen parts separate, to stop damage during operation.

 

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