Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing and Intellectual Property
Fourth Floor, New South Building
Post Office Box 36 PRIVATE
Princeton, New Jersey 08544-0036
Phone: (609) 258-6762
FAX: (609) 258-1159
ELECTROCATALYTIC WATER-SPLITTING FOR HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN PRODUCTION
Researchers at Princeton University and the Universities of Monash and Wollongong in Australia, have developed an electrocatalytic system that, when illuminated with sunlight, spontaneously splits water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The Universities are seeking an industrial partner to commercialize this technology.
The problem with such a “hydrogen economy” at the present time is that there are no cheap, renewable methods of making hydrogen. This new system offers the possibility of making hydrogen from water in a sustainable, cost-effective manner using only sunlight. The system is based on mimicking the principles involved in biological catalytic processes. Hydrogen offers an important potential alternative fuel in the modern-day economy and may potentially replace fossil fuels and mitigate current issues surrounding energy dependence and carbon-emissions.
A significant advantage of this catalytic system is that it can be readily employed within existing solar cell technologies, such as Graetzel Cells. Graetzel Cells are low-cost electrochemical solar-cells that have recently been commercialised. While not as efficient as current silicon-based, photovoltaic devices, Graetzel cells are substantially cheaper to manufacture and as such are highly cost-effective. When illuminated with light, Graetzel Cells generate an electrical voltage and current in an external circuit, but they are not capable of splitting water. By adapting the cell with the new catalytic technology, Graetzel Cells can be made to split water, thereby generating hydrogen in addition to the electrical voltage and current. Using the new technology, hydrogen can be obtained even from impure water sources, like seawater. As hydrogen and oxygen can be recombined to form pure water, the new technology also offers the possibility of a new desalination technology.
Patent protection is pending.
For more information please contact:
William H. Gowen
Office of Technology Licensing and Intellectual Property
Princeton University
4 New South Building
Princeton, NJ 08544-0036
(609) 258-6762
(609) 258-1159 fax