Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have received about $2.5 million to identify new materials that will efficiently absorb sunlight and split water (H2O) into clean hydrogen fuel, which could power cars and be used to generate electricity.
For the next three years, chemical engineering Professor Charles Mullins, chemistry Professor Allen Bard and mathematics Professor Irene M. Gamba will collaborate on the endeavor, which encompasses two grants from the National Science Foundation ($1.4 million) and the U.S. Department of Energy (about $1.1 million). Bard and Mullins are affiliated with the Center for Electrochemistry at the university.
"Sustainable energy ultimately will involve the conversion of solar energy economically and efficiently to chemical fuels and electricity," Bard said. "Our work focuses on discovering new materials for this and obtaining a better understanding of how their composition and structure govern their behavior."
Allen Bard Research Group