A team of researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry and Faculty of Engineering have discovered that they can turn metal waste into an effective catalyst for producing hydrogen from water. This breakthrough could lead to a more sustainable method of hydrogen production.
Scientists have found a way to transform metal waste into a highly efficient catalyst to make hydrogen from water, a discovery that could make hydrogen production more sustainable.
A team of researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry and Faculty of Engineering have found that the surface of swarf, a byproduct of the metal machining industry, is textured with tiny steps and gr rnrnThe study, published in the Journal of Material Chemistry A of the Royal Society of Chemistry, introduces a new approach to creating efficient electrocatalysts for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. This process is significant because hydrogen is a clean fuel that can be used for heat or to power vehicles, with water vapor being the only byproduct of its combustion. Most hydrogen production methods currently rely on fossil fuel feedstock, but electrolysis of water is a promising green pathway for producing hydrogen as it only requires water and electricity.HTML as is.
The challenge with water electrolysis is the need for rare and expensive elements like platinum to catalyze the process of water splitting. As the global supply of precious metals is limited and their prices are increasing, there is an urgent need for alternative electrocatalyst materials to produce hydrogen from water.
According to Dr. Jesum Alves Fernandes, from the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, who led the research team, industries in the UK alone generate millions of tons of metal waste annually. By using a scanning electron microscope, the research team was able to inspect the seemingly smooth surfaces of materials such as stainless steel, titanium, or nickel.The researchers were surprised to find that the alloy swarf surfaces had tiny grooves and ridges that were only tens of nanometres wide. They realized that this textured surface could be used to create unique electrocatalysts.
They used magnetron sputtering to deposit platinum atoms onto the swarf’s surface, which then formed nanoparticles that fit perfectly into the nanoscale grooves.
Dr. Madasamy Thangamuthu, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Nottingham, analyzed the structure and electrocatalytic activity of the new material.The group’s research has led to a breakthrough in hydrogen production from water, using only a tenth of the platinum loading compared to current commercial catalysts. By spreading a small amount of platinum over a piece of swarf, they were able to create a laboratory-scale electrolyser that operates with 100% efficiency and produces 0.5 litres of hydrogen gas per minute.
The group is collaborating with AqSorption Ltd, a Nottingham-based company that specializes in electrolyser design and fabrication, to scale up their technology. Professor Andrei Khlobystov from the School of Chemistry is leading the research.According to the University of Nottingham, the use of swarf to create electrocatalysts has the potential to have a significant impact on the economy. The technology developed at Nottingham involves the growth of platinum particles on nanotextured surfaces at the atomic level, addressing two key challenges. Firstly, it allows for the production of green hydrogen using the smallest amount of precious metal possible. Secondly, it repurposes metal waste from the aerospace industry in a single process.
The East Midlands has established the Zero Carbon Cluster to speed up the advancement and implementation of innovation in green industries and advanced manufacturing.g.
Professor Tom Rodden, PVC for Research & Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, believes that the development of hydrogen propulsion systems could help address some of the world’s most urgent zero-carbon challenges, particularly in the transport and manufacturing sectors. However, the success of this approach relies on the sustainable production of green hydrogen, such as through water splitting using electrolysis, which in turn requires advancements in materials design.
Journal Reference:
- Madasamy Thangamuthu, Emerson C. Kohlrausch, Ming Li, Alist rnThe article titled “From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production” was authored by Air Speidel, Adam T. Clare, Richard Plummer, Paul Geary, James W. Murray, Andrei N. Khlobystov, and Jesum Alves Fernandes. It was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A in 2024. The DOI for the article is 10.1039/d4ta00711e.