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Monday, 21st March 2005 (4201 views)

A new technique which uses nano-scale pieces of gold and platinum has been developed as part of a process for enabling photocatalytic solar hydrogen production from water.<br/><br/>Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories say they have harnessed the power of "porphyrin nanotubes", devising a method by which the tubes self-assemble, offering a series of important optical and electronic properties.<br/><br/>Using photocatalysis, these nanotubes can grow small deposits of metal when reacting to light in a platinum ion solution, allowing scientists to "grow" minute quantities of platinum, which can be harnessed for the production of energy.<br/><br/>By combining the process with an analogous method for generating gold, the research team has been able to create a photolytic nanodevice - with gold inside a nano-scale tube and platinum on the outside.<br/><br/>An inorganic photocatalyst that produces oxygen is attached to the gold contact, establishing a conductor for electrons between the oxygen and hydrogen producing elements of the device. <br/><br/>Experts say the process could be used to create ultra-efficient solar energy devices, but John Shelnutt, Sandia research team leader, acknowledged that they had "a lot of issues to resolve" before the process was refined.<br/><br/>"The broad objective of the research is to design and fabricate new types of nanoscale devices," he explained.<br/><br/>The work has been partially funded by a grant to the University of Georgia from the US department of energy.<img alt="track" src="http://directnews.dehavilland.co.uk/dn.gif?feedid=196&itemid=8082809"/>

 

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