Home > Press > Cobalt catalysts for simple water splitting
Abstract:
Researchers from UC Davis and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are studying how a simple cobalt catalyst can split water molecules. Such inexpensive catalysts could one day be used to convert sunlight into fuel that can run domestic fuel cells.
Cobalt catalysts for simple water splitting
Davis, CA | Posted on May 11th, 2010In 2008, MIT chemists, led by Professor Dan Nocera, reported that a simple cobalt catalyst could split water at neutral pH to produce oxygen, protons and electrons. The catalyst actually seems to assemble itself over several hours as an electric current is applied, and then begins to bubble oxygen.
"This got a lot of attention from the chemistry community, but no one knew how it worked," said R. David Britt, professor of chemistry at UC Davis.
Britt's lab is working with Nocera's group to use a technique called electron paramagnetic resonance to study the chemical state of cobalt atoms in the catalyst. They found that as more water is split, the proportion of cobalt (IV) increases and the proportion of cobalt (II) decreases. The work opens the door to further studies on these catalysts, the authors write.
Ultimately, catalysts based on relatively abundant elements like cobalt, as opposed to platinum or gold, could make it economical to convert electricity from solar panels or other renewable sources into hydrogen fuel for storage or use. The protons and electrons produced from splitting water would be used in the next step of the process to make hydrogen.
Electron paramagnetic resonance is a technique similar to the nuclear magnetic resonance used in medical imaging. Britt's lab uses it to study catalysts that split water, including both artificial catalysts and those used by plants in photosynthesis.
"Plants figured this out a couple of billion years ago," Britt said.
A paper describing the work is published online this month by the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Other authors on the paper are graduate student J. Gregory McAlpin, postdoctoral researcher Troy Stich and chemistry professor William Casey, all at UC Davis; and at MIT, graduate student Yogesh Surendranath and postdoctoral researchers Mircea Dinca and Sebastian Stoian.
The work was funded by the National Science Foundation.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Media contacts
David Britt
Chemistry
(530) 752-6377
Andy Fell
UC Davis News Service
(530) 752-4533
Copyright © UC Davis
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
Chemistry
Projecting light to dispense liquids: A new route to ultra-precise microdroplets January 30th, 2026
From sensors to smart systems: the rise of AI-driven photonic noses January 30th, 2026
News and information
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy
Metasurfaces smooth light to boost magnetic sensing precision January 30th, 2026
New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms August 8th, 2025
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Possible Futures
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Academic/Education
Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024
Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022
Announcements
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Energy
Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025
Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025
Automotive/Transportation
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025
Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025
Research partnerships
Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025
HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||