Unlocking Key Proton Adsorption Mechanism for Enhanced Green Hydrogen Production
Key Ideas
- Researchers at INST, Mohali, have discovered insights into proton adsorption dynamics, offering a promising path to boost green hydrogen production.
- The study focuses on the impact of built-in electric fields and Gibbs free energy profiles on hydrogen evolution, highlighting the importance of catalyst design.
- The developed heterostructure, CuWO4-CuO, showed enhanced hydrogen adsorption and desorption by optimizing proton binding affinity through a negative cooperativity effect.
- The interplay between built-in electric fields and Gibbs free energy in the catalyst showcased a favourable regime for efficient hydrogen evolution, indicating significant progress in green hydrogen technology.
Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) in Mohali have made significant strides in uncovering a crucial mechanism for enhancing green hydrogen production. By delving into proton adsorption dynamics in catalyst heterostructures, specifically focusing on built-in electric fields and Gibbs free energy profiles, the researchers have identified a promising pathway for improving the efficiency of hydrogen evolution processes. The study emphasizes the importance of catalyst design, particularly highlighting the significance of the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) based p-n heterojunction as a potential material for robust built-in electric fields due to its asymmetric electronic environment. The research explores the impact of various parameters like work function, built-in electric fields, and Gibbs free energy on the reaction mechanism, shedding light on how these factors influence proton adsorption/desorption dynamics. Through the development of the CuWO4-CuO heterostructure, the scientists observed a gradient in Gibbs free energy across different regions, leading to enhanced hydrogen adsorption and desorption capabilities, thereby facilitating efficient hydrogen evolution. Furthermore, the study revealed an interesting 'negative cooperativity' effect in the catalyst, where the interplay between CuO and CuWO4 phases optimized the surface's affinity for proton adsorption, ultimately promoting efficient alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Overall, this research marks a significant advancement in the field of green hydrogen technology, offering new insights into catalyst design and proton adsorption mechanisms.