Scientists catch water molecules flipping before splitting

 

In the crucial moment before producing , the water molecules performed an unexpected trick: They flipped.

Because these acrobatics are energy intensive, the observations help explain why water splitting uses more energy than theoretical calculations suggest. The findings also could lead to new insights into increasing the efficiency of water splitting, a process that holds promise for generating clean hydrogen fuel and for producing breathable oxygen during future missions to Mars.

"When you split water, two half-reactions occur," said Northwestern's Franz Geiger, who led the study.

"One half-reaction produces hydrogen and the other produces oxygen. The half-reaction that produces oxygen is really difficult to perform because everything has to be aligned just right. It ends up taking more energy than theoretically calculated. If you do the math, it should require 1.23 volts. But, in reality, it requires more like 1.5 or 1.6 volts.

"Providing that extra voltage costs money, and that's why water splitting hasn't been implemented at a large scale. We argue that the energy required to flip the water is a significant contributor to needing this extra energy. By designing  that make water flipping easier, we could make water splitting more practical and cost-effective."

Geiger is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and member of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Energy and Sustainability.

As the climate continues to warm, researchers have become increasingly interested in water splitting as a way to produce clean hydrogen fuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. To perform the process, scientists add water to a metallic electrode and then apply a voltage.

This electricity splits water molecules into two components—hydrogen and oxygen—without any unwanted byproducts. From there, researchers can collect hydrogen for fuel or repurpose the hydrogen and oxygen into energy-efficient fuel cells.

While water splitting could play a significant role in a future clean-energy economy, it faces several challenges. The main issue is that the oxygen part of the reaction, called the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), can be difficult and inefficient. Although it's most efficient when iridium is used as the electrode, Geiger said scientists need more affordable alternatives.

Event Name : International Molecular Biologist Awards

Website Link: molecularbiologist.org/

Contact Mail ID : contact@molecularbiologist.org

Nomination Link  : https://molecularbiologist.org/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee

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