"We have discovered a catalyst that can produce ready quantities of hydrogen without the need for extreme cold temperatures or high pressures, which are often required in other production and storage methods," said research team member Mahdi Abu-Omar.
Abu-Omar and his team have been experimenting with a “coordination complex” based on the metal rhenium.
While looking for a process to convert organosilane chemicals into silanols (used in the manufacture of silicone), the team combined organosilanes and water in the presence of a rhenium complex at ambient temperature and pressure.
Within an hour, the reaction had produced hydrogen gas in addition to silanols and at a significantly higher ratio than many other hydrogen production methods.
Although organosilanes are relatively expensive, the team believes that making use of the silicone by-product could enable the process to become a commercially viable means of producing hydrogen.
"The big question is, of course, whether it would be economically viable to create organosilane fuels in the quantities necessary to power a world full of fuel-cell cars," Abu-Omar said.
“As of right now, there simply isn't enough demand to make more than small volumes of this liquid, and while it's a relatively easy process, it's not dirt cheap."
