Australian scientists find cheap way to make hydrogen fuel

Australian researchers have developed a new and cheaper way to produce hydrogen energy by using electrodes to split water.

The research from scientists at University of New South Wales ( UNSW) in Sydney was published in the journal Nature Communications on Wednesday and could pave the way to producing clean energy fuel.

Associate Professor Chuan Zhao, of the UNSW School of Chemistry said his team used inexpensive, coated foam material that allows bubbles of oxygen escape quickly.

"Our electrode is the most efficient oxygen-producing electrode in alkaline electrolytes reported to date, to the best of our knowledge," he said in the journal.

"It is inexpensive, sturdy and simple to make, and can potentially be scaled up for industrial application of water splitting."

A barrier stopping the commercial production of hydrogen by using electrolysis is the need to use precious metals in the process. The UNSW electrolysis process uses readily available nickel and iron, which makes it cheaper, and potentially more viable. Endi