University of Oregon chemists say that ultra-thin films of
nickel and iron oxides made through a solution synthesis process are promising
catalysts to combine with semiconductors to make devices that capture sunlight
and convert water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.
Researchers in the Solar Materials and Electrochemistry
Laboratory of Shannon Boettcher, professor of chemistry, studied the catalyst
material and also developed a computer model for applying catalyst thin films
in solar water-splitting devices as a tool to predict the effectiveness of a
wide range of catalyst materials for solar-hydrogen production.