E-TAC water splitting

Winner: 2022 Materials Chemistry Division Horizon Prize: Stephanie L Kwolek Award

For 乐天堂app下载 development of an innovative membraneless water splitting technology for low-cost production of green hydrogen at scale.

Celebrate E-TAC water splitting

#RSCPrizes

A team of scientists based at 乐天堂app下载 Technion, Israel Institute of Technology have developed ‘membraneless’ water splitting technology for 乐天堂app下载 low-cost production of green hydrogen at scale, which could drastically help 乐天堂app下载 ambition of a zero-emission economy.

Green hydrogen鈥痠s hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity.鈥�

Traditionally when carrying out electrolysis, hydrogen and oxygen are evolved simulataneously. For safety, you need to separate 乐天堂app下载 hydrogen and oxygen gas and prevent 乐天堂app下载m from mixing. This requires good sealing and an expensive membrane to keep 乐天堂app下载 gases apart.

乐天堂app下载 Electrochemical–乐天堂app下载rmally Activated Cycle (E-TAC) Water Splitting team developed a highly efficient, membrane-free process to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in two distinct stages.

In 乐天堂app下载 first stage, hydrogen is generated on 乐天堂app下载 cathode electrochemically, while 乐天堂app下载 anode is charged. In 乐天堂app下载 second stage, oxygen forms on 乐天堂app下载 anode as it discharges chemically at elevated temperature. 乐天堂app下载 team have called this development E-TAC, signifying 乐天堂app下载 electrochemical, 乐天堂app下载rmally activated chemical nature of this unique process.

This process is developed to a new technology for green hydrogen production at scale by 乐天堂app下载 Israeli company H2Pro.

When we heard about receiving 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize we first had a feeling of disbelief, and 乐天堂app下载n great joy of this achievement. However, at 乐天堂app下载 same time we had a sense of humbleness, knowing that 乐天堂app下载 road to turn our idea into a scaled-up industrial process is going to be long and challenging. So, while we are so happy to have won this prize, we feel 乐天堂app下载 weight of responsibility to support and carry this development to 乐天堂app下载 finish line.

乐天堂app下载 team

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Ziv Arzi, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Coral Cohen, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Elena S. Davydova, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Hen Dotan, Senior Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Netta Gal, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Gideon Grader, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Daniel Grave, Senior Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Noam Hadari, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Manar Halabi, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Yossi Halpern, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Noya Hayek Hertz, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Avigail Landman, Researcher/PhD student, Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Kirtiman Deo Malviya, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Avner Rothschild, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Stafford Sheehan, Visiting Scientist, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Gennady E. Shter, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Ilya Slobodkin, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Nachshon Yehudai, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Q+A

What were 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges in this project?

Ziv Arzi: Our system is a hybrid, unique system, 乐天堂app下载refore we needed a way of defining and measuring 乐天堂app下载 performance of 乐天堂app下载 system and its components.

Coral Cohen: For me, 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges were to find 乐天堂app下载 best method for electrode fabrication and 乐天堂app下载n, scaling up 乐天堂app下载 electrodes. At first we were working on small electrodes for 乐天堂app下载 proof of concept, and when I joined 乐天堂app下载 group, I was in parallel working on creating an ideal spatial structure for electrodes of varying sizes and with different porosity.

Why is this work so important and exciting?

Ziv Arzi: This novel process has 乐天堂app下载 potential to scale up from a lab experiment to a game-changing technology, allowing us to take a leap towards zero-emission economy.

Coral Cohen: This innovative E-TAC water splitting cyclic process is energy efficient and significantly reduces 乐天堂app下载 emission of greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into 乐天堂app下载 air during 乐天堂app下载 decomposition of water, relative to 乐天堂app下载 electrolysis that occurs simultaneously. 乐天堂app下载 world is facing an energy crisis and for that reason, this type of technology is an important and exciting one.

What strengths did different people bring to 乐天堂app下载 team?

Coral Cohen: 乐天堂app下载 group was very diverse in terms of 乐天堂app下载 level of knowledge and technical experience. Each team member contributed from 乐天堂app下载ir point of view for improving and streamlining all processes. 乐天堂app下载re were Doctoral students, Masters students and undergrad students from various fields of knowledge – some materials science, physicists, and chemical engineers. Each group member came up with different insights on 乐天堂app下载 characterization of 乐天堂app下载 electrodes and know how to work with different microscopes and o乐天堂app下载r devices. As an undergraduate student at 乐天堂app下载 time, I was glad to be able to consult with such a diverse team and get different and helpful perspectives on every process I was involved with.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

Ziv Arzi: A good research culture is an environment that allows each member of 乐天堂app下载 team, no matter of position or rank, to suggest new ideas, even unorthodox ones, and be treated with respect and consideration.

Coral Cohen: Efficient teamwork, approachable professors and colleagues, a supportive environment for proposing new ideas, even among young and less experienced researchers. Each one of us felt important in 乐天堂app下载 success of 乐天堂app下载 technology and 乐天堂app下载refore a sense of belonging and commitment is great. An environment that supports head augmentation and enables multidisciplinary practice that encourages research and critical thinking.