New light-powered material could make clean hydrogen cheaper to produce

For the new study, researchers focused on a MOF known as BVR-19. Its distinctive feature is an unusual bond between sulfur atoms within its organic component. Hydrogen has long carried the promise of becoming a cleaner fuel, but making it sustainably remains one of the biggest challenges. Now, researchers at Oregon State University have developed a new material that uses light to split water and produce hydrogen, opening another possible route to solar-powered fuel production without relying on an expensive metal catalyst. Led by Kyriakos Stylianou of the OSU College of Science, the research centres on a specially designed photocatalyst that can harness light energy to accelerate the chemical reactions needed to generate hydrogen, states the research study published by Science Daily.Turning light into chemical energyAccording to the research, a photocatalyst works much like an ordinary catalyst, speeding up a chemical reaction without being consumed by it. The difference is that light activates the material, pushing it into a higher-energy state and allowing it to drive reactions more efficiently. To do that, the OSU team looked to metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs. They are crysta...