German researchers develop hydrogen from sunlight
In Germany, green hydrogen is one of the most important pillars of the energy transition. It is produced from sunlight using photocatalytic processes. There are now a variety of technologies for converting and storing solar energy into chemical energy. But now, for the first time, a material has been successfully developed that can store the energy from sunlight for several days and then release it in the form of hydrogen “at the push of a button.”
A water-soluble, redox-active copolymer is used as a material for temporary energy or electron storage. Copolymers are macromolecules that consist of different organic building blocks. They form a stable framework and have been equipped with functional units that have certain chemical-physical properties – in this case a reinforced redox activity. The system developed by the researchers from Ulm University and Jena achieves a charging efficiency of over 80 per cent and maintains this state for several days. By adding an acid and a hydrogen evolution catalyst, the electrons stored in the polymer are combined with protons – this process produces hydrogen “on demand”. The efficiency is astonishingly high at 72 per cent. Another great advantage is that this process also takes place in the dark, i.e. regardless of whether the sun is shining.
Category: Research
