IIT Guwahati develops coating tech to boost green hydrogen production efficiency by 51%

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a new coating material that makes solar-powered water splitting systems work better and last longer. These systems are used to produce green hydrogen. The study found that hydrogen production efficiency improved by more than 50%.

The research has been published in the international journal Small and was led by Uttam Manna and Mohammad Qureshi from the Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati. The team also included Hrisikesh Sarma and research scholars Alpana Sahu, Anshika Chaudhary, Sumanta Sarkar, Sourav Mandal, and Lingaraj Sahoo.

Green hydrogen is a clean fuel because it does not produce greenhouse gases when it is used. It is made by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight in a process called Photo-Assisted Electrochemical (PAEC) water splitting, IIT Guwahati said.

However, this technology still has some problems. The materials used in it can get damaged over time, and gas bubbles can form on the electrode surfaces. Both of these issues reduce its efficiency over time, the statement added.

Key challenges in hydrogen production systems

According to the researchers, the new coating solves both of these problems. The team created a strong and long-lasting structure by combining graphitic carbon nitride, a thin photocatalyst material, with a bubble-repelling hydrogel layer on porous nickel foam. Unlike traditional methods, where catalysts are just placed on the surface, this new method traps the photocatalyst inside the coating itself.

This structure helps stop the catalyst layer from coming off. It also increases the surface area where reactions can happen, which improves the overall performance.

“The study reported a 51% increase in hydrogen production and a 44% increase in oxygen production compared to conventional systems,” according to an IIT Guwahati statement.

Uttam Manna, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at IIT Guwahati, said, “In this study, we successfully showed that adding a two-dimensional material called graphitic carbon nitride inside a highly bubble-repellent layer helps bubbles leave the surface more quickly. This improves the performance of photo-assisted electrochemical water splitting. As a result, we observed a significant increase in hydrogen production.”

He added that this method can also be used with other catalyst materials, which may further improve green hydrogen production in the future.

IIT Guwahati boosts green hydrogen output by 51%

Co-lead researcher Mohammad Qureshi said the team plans to improve the system further by testing new materials and making it larger for real-world use. He said they will also try replacing hydrogels with other advanced photocatalysts to make water splitting more efficient and scale up the technology for bigger electrodes and solar hydrogen devices.

The researchers said this innovation could be important for future clean energy systems, especially for large-scale solar-to-fuel production and storing renewable energy.

The study was supported by funding from ANRF, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, IIT Guwahati, and the Ministry of Education (MoE). The researchers also thanked P K Iyer and Himangshu Baishya for their technical help with AFM and photoluminescence tests.