Chalmers Team Demonstrates Platinum-Free Polymer Photocatalyst for Solar Hydrogen

Overview

• Researchers at Chalmers University, working with Uppsala University, report a solar-driven hydrogen method using conjugated polymer nanoparticles instead of platinum.
• In laboratory tests under simulated sunlight, one gram of the polymer produced about 30 liters of hydrogen per hour.
• The nanoparticles were engineered to be more hydrophilic and loosely packed, improving water compatibility and boosting the light-to-hydrogen process.
• The current system uses vitamin C to sustain the reaction, and the team is now pursuing simultaneous hydrogen and oxygen generation without additives.
• The peer-reviewed results, published in Advanced Materials, point to a potential path away from scarce, costly platinum and the environmental risks tied to its mining.