View single post by Joe Kelley
 Posted: Thu Jul 17th, 2008 01:00 pm
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Joe Kelley

 

Joined: Mon Nov 21st, 2005
Location: California USA
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http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/ps-rgh071508.php

Grimes' process splits water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen, and collects the products separately using commonly available titanium and copper. Splitting water for hydrogen production is an old and proven method, but in its conventional form, it requires previously generated electricity. Photolysis of water solar splitting of water has also been explored, but is not a commercial method yet.
Grimes and his team produce hydrogen from solar energy, using two different groups of nanotubes in a photoelectrochemical diode. They report in the July issue of Nano Letters that using incident sunlight, "such photocorrosion-stable diodes generate a photocurrent of approximately 0.25 milliampere per centimeter square, at a photoconversion efficiency of 0.30 percent."