Greg Metha, Associate Professor and Head of Chemistry at the University of Adelaide, and his team are analyzing the properties of tiny metallic particles and are investigating how these nanoparticles work as catalysts to produce hydrogen energy from solar radiation.
The main objective of the research is to produce cheap, portable and clean hydrogen energy from water. The latest research is expected to contribute to the global initiative to transform solar energy into chemical energy.
The researchers worked with metal clusters having size less than one-quarter of a nanometer and discovered that they act as highly efficient catalysts. Metha and his group have found innovative methods to produce tiny metallic clusters and are currently working to use their catalytic properties to drive chemical reactions, which could benefit industrial applications and the environment.
Metha has pointed out that the catalyst can efficiently split water into oxygen and hydrogen at the molecular level and now it is necessary to demonstrate that the material can function at the macroscopic level. Thus, the metal nanoparticles open up new possibilities to generate clean hydrogen energy.