A dash of disorder yields a very efficient photocatalyst
Friday, January 28, 2011 - 14:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- A little disorder goes a long way, especially when it comes to harnessing the suns energy. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energys Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) jumbled the atomic structure of the surface layer of titanium dioxide nanocrystals, creating a catalyst that is both long lasting and more efficient than all other materials in using the suns energy to extract hydrogen from water.