Light significantly accelerates hydrogen generation from formic acid, according to a report by German scientists. Combining the process with a small fuel cell could create a power source suitable for replacing batteries in laptops and other mobile devices, they claim.

Matthias Beller and colleagues at the University of Rostock used a ruthenium catalyst to break down formic acid into hydrogen, which can be used to power a fuel cell, and carbon dioxide. They found that shining a light on the reaction mixture increased the reaction rate, meaning they could turn hydrogen production on or off by controlling the light source. To demonstrate the potential of their system, the team created a miniature, hydrogen-powered car.

 

Hydrogen is generated on-board the miniature car

Serafino Gladiali, an expert in catalysis at the University of Sassari, Italy, welcomed the research saying it was 'a significant step forward in the sustainable production of hydrogen from renewable hydrogen donors'.

Formic acid contains more hydrogen per litre than hydrogen gas compressed at 350 bar. By using it as a liquid hydrogen carrier, scientists can avoid the problems associated with storing large volumes of explosive hydrogen gas. 'The energy density of formic acid is five to 10 times higher then the current lithium ion batteries,' explains Beller. 'One molecule of catalyst can generate up to 300 000 molecules of hydrogen, which makes the catalyst attractive for small scale applications.'

Gabor Laurenczy, an expert in hydrogen generation at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne, Switzerland, agrees. 'Hydrogen storage and delivery are the central questions for the future hydrogen based economy especially for mobile and off-grid applications,' he comments. 'The new catalysts for selective formic acid decomposition overcome the limitations of previous systems and make hydrogen generation from formic acid viable for practical applications.'

Beller says the team are continuing to develop prototype power sources and he hopes the catalytic system will be used in mobile devices in the future.

Russell Johnson

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