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UT El Paso-led team designs cactus-inspired low-cost, efficient water-splitting catalyst

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Researchers led by engineers at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have proposed a low-cost, cactus-inspired nickel-based material to help split water more cheaply and efficiently. Nickel, however, is not as quick and effective at breaking down water into hydrogen. who led the study.

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Stanford researchers make ammonia from air and water microdroplets

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Stanford researchers, with a colleague from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, have developed a simple and environmentally sound way to make ammonia with tiny droplets of water and nitrogen from the air. Water microdroplets are the hydrogen source for N 2 in contact with Fe 3 O 4. —Song et al. Song et al.

Water 459
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New stable water-splitting catalyst doesn’t require expensive iridium

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Researchers have developed a nickel-stabilized, ruthenium dioxide (Ni-RuO 2 ) anode catalyst for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. The Ni-RuO 2 catalyst shows high activity and durability in acidic OER for PEM water electrolysis. Boyang Li of the University of Pittsburgh is co-lead author of the paper.

Water 411
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Sparc Hydrogen to test photocatalytic water splitting (PWS) reactor at CSIRO

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The Sparc Green Hydrogen process combines concentrated solar (CS) with photocatalytic water splitting. Prototype testing of Sparc Hydrogen’s reactor in real world conditions is the culmination of more than 5 years of research and development work conducted by the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.

Water 396
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UNC team synthesizes silicon nanowires that split water

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Researchers from the University of North Carolina have synthesized high-photovoltage multijunction Si nanowires (SiNWs) that are co-functionalized to split water catalytically. When integrated with the co-catalysts and suspended in water, these light-activated nanoreactors produced hydrogen gas under visible and infrared light.

Water 221
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Pitt engineers using membrane distillation to recycle water used in fracking and drilling

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Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are using membrane distillation technology to enable drillers to filter and reuse the produced water in the oil and gas industry, in agriculture, and other beneficial uses.

Water 303
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Exeter team develops low-cost photoelectrode for spontaneous water-splitting using sunlight

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Researchers at the University of Exeter (UK) have developed a novel p-type LaFeO 3 photoelectrode using an inexpensive and scalable spray pyrolysis method. The nanostructured photoelectrode results in spontaneous hydrogen evolution from water without any external bias applied with a faradaic efficiency of 30% and excellent stability.

Water 342