Researchers develop new metal-free organic catalyst which can produce hydrogen fuel by harvesting mechanical energy

The metal-free porous integrated catalyst was developed by the researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), on with different institutions. | Photo Credit: Freepik

In an interdisciplinary study, researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), on with different institutions, person developed a novel, cost-effective, metal-free porous integrated catalyst for businesslike Hydrogen substance accumulation by harvesting mechanical energy.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, successful bid to trim planetary warming and the related interaction of fossil fuels, modulation towards sustainable alternatives based connected renewable vigor becomes progressively critical.

Game-changing source

“Green hydrogen (H₂) substance has emerged arsenic a game-changing renewable and clean-burning vigor source, which generates nary nonstop c emissions and lone h2o arsenic a by-product erstwhile utilized successful substance cells,” it said.

Professor Tapas K. Maji  from the Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit astatine JNCASR and his probe squad person developed a metal-free donor-acceptor based covalent-organic model (COF) for piezocatalytic h2o splitting.

This survey published successful Advanced Functional Materials demonstrates a Covalent integrated model (COF) built from imide linkages betwixt integrated donor molecule tris(4-aminophenyl)amine (TAPA) and acceptor molecule pyromellitic dianhydride (PDA) acceptor exhibiting unsocial ferrielectric (FiE) ordering, which showed businesslike piezocatalytic enactment for h2o splitting to nutrient H2.

“This find breaks the accepted conception of solely employing dense oregon modulation metal-based ferroelectric (FE) materials arsenic piezocatalysts for catalyzing h2o splitting reaction,” the section stated.

Using a elemental donor molecule similar TAPA and an acceptor molecule similar PDA, Prof. Maji and his probe squad person built a COF strategy that has beardown complaint transportation properties, which creates dipoles (separation betwixt affirmative and antagonistic charges).

Instability successful structure

This causes instability successful the lattice structure, starring to FiE ordering. These FiE dipoles interact with flexible twisting molecular question successful the material, making them responsive to mechanical pressure. As a result, the worldly tin make electron-hole pairs erstwhile mechanically stimulated, making it a highly businesslike piezocatalyst for h2o splitting for H2 production. The squad comprises 4 different researchers from JNCASR: Adrija Ghosh, Surabhi Menon, Dr. Sandip Biswas and Dr. Anupam Dey.

Apart from JNCASR, Dr. Supriya Sahoo and Prof. Ramamoorthy Boomishankar from  Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune and Prof. Jan K. Zaręba from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland made important contributions to the contiguous interdisciplinary study.

Published - May 13, 2025 10:31 p.m. IST