A hydrogen generator that runs on an ordinary AAA battery
Science
Mark Shwartz/Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy
A hydrogen generator that runs on an ordinary AAA battery
Comments
Hydrogen is just about the cleanest fuel you can imagine: The only exhaust it produces is water.
A simple way to produce hydrogen is electrolysis, which uses electric current to split hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water molecules apart.
When electricity passes through the plates, called electrodes, hydrogen appears at the cathode and oxygen at the anode.
Until now, scientists have had to use precious metals like platinum for the electrodes, because these metals conduct electricity efficiently and do not decay easily in water.
Now, a team has found a cheaper alternative : nickel metal coated with nickel oxide and attached to carbon nanotubes.
http://news.sciencemag.org/chemistry/2014/08/hydrogen-generator-runs-ordinary-aaa-battery
Science
Mark Shwartz/Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy
A hydrogen generator that runs on an ordinary AAA battery
Comments
Hydrogen is just about the cleanest fuel you can imagine: The only exhaust it produces is water.
A simple way to produce hydrogen is electrolysis, which uses electric current to split hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water molecules apart.
When electricity passes through the plates, called electrodes, hydrogen appears at the cathode and oxygen at the anode.
Until now, scientists have had to use precious metals like platinum for the electrodes, because these metals conduct electricity efficiently and do not decay easily in water.
Now, a team has found a cheaper alternative : nickel metal coated with nickel oxide and attached to carbon nanotubes.
http://news.sciencemag.org/chemistry/2014/08/hydrogen-generator-runs-ordinary-aaa-battery
