New metal catalyst drives hydrogen fuel reaction forwards and backwards
Thursday, February 16, 2012 - 07:01
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to driving hydrogen production, a new catalyst built at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory can do what was previously shown to happen only in nature: store energy in hydrogen and release that energy on demand. This new nickel-based complex drives the reaction but is not consumed by it. While slow, the catalyst wastes little energy. It turns electrons and protons into hydrogen. The hydrogen molecule holds the energy in a very small space until it is needed. The same catalyst then breaks the single bond in the hydrogen molecule, releasing electrons to do work.