AK&M 15 November 2024 16:25
Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University, as part of a research team, for the first time synthesized a new class of photocatalytic materials for the production of hydrogen from water molecules using the method of electric spark erosion. The resulting nanostructured materials are of great interest in the field of “green” energy. The research was carried out within the framework of the federal program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation “Priority 2030” of the national project “Science and Universities”.
The results of the study are published in the journal ACS Applied Energy Materials (Q1, IF: 5.4).
Hydrogen is widely considered by the scientific community as a promising alternative to traditional fossil fuels. To date, the synthesis of hydrogen by splitting water molecules is considered the most environmentally friendly way to produce it, such hydrogen is called “green”.
Photoelectrochemical cells are mainly used to produce “green” hydrogen, in which the energy of sunlight is used to produce this fuel by splitting a water molecule using electrolysis. This method requires the use of expensive scarce metals, such as platinum group metals (MPG), as electrodes. Therefore, the scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University faced the task of obtaining alternative materials that could compete with the efficiency of MPG without the associated costs.
“One of the most studied and widely used materials for photocatalytic devices and applications is zinc oxide (ZnO). However, ZnO particles by themselves cannot provide sufficient electron transfer, which is necessary for the chemical reaction of splitting a water molecule,” says Damir Valiev, project manager, Associate Professor of Materials Science at the Engineering School of New Production Technologies. “ZnO can be modified and transformed into nanostructures that will have good semiconductor and optoelectronic properties.”
In their research, TPU scientists synthesized binary nanocomposite materials from tungsten disulfide and zinc oxide (WS 2–ZnO).
“The synthesis of WS 2–ZnO nanostructures was carried out by the method of electric spark erosion of zinc granules in aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide with simultaneous addition of WS 2 nanostructured powder to the reaction zone. Previously, this method was not used for the manufacture of WS 2–ZnO nanoheterostructures,” notes Damir Valiev.
As a result of the experiment, scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University obtained a material, which was then applied to the electrode (photoanode) of a prepared photoelectrochemical cell for subsequent experiments on hydrogen generation. When irradiated with a stream of light from a xenon lamp simulating natural sunlight, the contribution of a working electrode coated with WS 2–ZnO to the photocurrent in a photoelectrochemical cell was evaluated. The chemical reaction resulting from exposure to light was accompanied by increased release of gaseous H 2 and O 2 at the counter electrode and the working electrode, respectively.
“The research results have shown that the obtained WS 2–ZnO nanostructures have a good potential for use as a photoanode material for photoelectrochemical splitting of water in order to produce hydrogen for use in green energy,” the scientist concluded.
The research was mainly attended by young scientists and employees of the Department of Materials Science, the N.M. Kizhner Scientific and Educational Center, the Clean Water Scientific and Production Laboratory of the TPU Engineering School of New Production Technologies, the Department of Experimental Physics of the School of Nuclear Technology Engineering, the University of South Africa Witwatersrand (Johannesburg).
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