A paint that adsorbs solar energy and water vapor to convert it into hydrogen? It seems like a figment of the imagination, but Australian scientists are on the verge of opening up this pathway for the production of hydrogen, the cleanest energy source in existence. The secret? A newly created compound that emulates and improves the properties of silicon.
Specifically, according to the research team from the Australian University of RMIT, the new material is a synthetic molybdenum sulfide. This substitute has the same virtues as a silicon bag for absorbing moisture from food, medicines or electronic equipment, but incorporates another advantage: its quality as a semiconductor and catalyst; aspects that allow it to absolve water vapor and convert it into hydrogen.
By mixing this compound with titanium oxide, a pigment widely used in paint, the researchers found that the product “led them to a paint that produces hydrogen only with solar energy and humidity in the air”. This is explained by the head of the project, Torben Daeneke, who underlines the achievement that this entails: “simply adding a material turns a brick wall into an energy collector and a fuel producer”.
The system delivers results virtually anywhere, even those farther away from water and in dry, high-temperature areas. The only condition is that there is water vapor, according to the researchers, who see in this invention “a wide variety of advantages” since it does not need clean or filtered water to power the system.
“It’s an extraordinary concept: to produce fuel from the sun and water vapor in the air,” says Koroush Kalantar-Zadeh, another of the promoters of this innovation. It could extend the production of hydrogen, considered by experts to be the cleanest source of energy, which is also suitable for use as an alternative fuel for conventional combustion engines, among many other possible applications.
