What is it about?
We show that we can make hydrogen, at the lab scale, much more efficiently by adding a piezoelectric polymer to our water-splitting catalyst. This means when we provide vibration to the hydrogen production system, we the piezoelectric polymer creates electricity within the device itself - right where the catalyst is, letting us save a huge amount of electricity to produce the same amount of hydrogen.
Featured Image
Photo by Max Kleinen on Unsplash
Why is it important?
New ways to produce hydrogen are critical - particularly in a green and sustainable way. This work represents the first coupling of flexible polymers - which are extremely chemically stable for long life in electrochemical devices - with current commercial catalysts, leading to a big energy savings.
Perspectives
There is a long way to go - this work shows the first step in integrating energy harvesting materials into water splitting catalytic systems, however the simple approach and huge benefit mean it's worth pursuing to try to make a difference for green manufacturing, future fuels, and environmental remediation.
Dr Peter C Sherrell
RMIT University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Piezo‐Electro‐Catalytic Hydrogen Production via Piezoelectric Fluoropolymers, Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research, April 2025, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/aesr.202500045.
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