Science Daily reports researchers at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology have created a catalyst not requiring expensive exotic metals to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. It is mostly composed of relatively common cobalt and nickel oxide with a dusting of gold nanoparticles.
Combining hydrogen with relatively plentiful oxygen from the air, the two ‘burn’ releasing heat and creating as a combustion by-product ... non-polluting water. Hydrogen can today power fuel cells, and produce steam. Conceivably internal combustion engines could be modified to run on hydrogen as they now run on LPG or natural gas.
This catalyst could be a game changer. I can see using extra electricity produced by solar and wind to create hydrogen which can be stored and burned to create electricity during periods of calm and darkness. Storing hydrogen in non-degrading pressure tanks has to be cheaper and easier than storing electricity in complicated batteries which wear out.
