Photosystem I (PSI) from plants, algae, and cyanobacteria has been shown to mediate hydrogen evolution both in vivo and in vitro. We observed that metallic platinum could be photo-precipitated at the reducing end of PSI according to the reaction, [PtCl6] + 4e + hν ⇒ Pt⇓ + 6Cl. This platinum nanocluster can then receive the photo-generated electrons from PSI and function as a nanocatalyst for th...

The restructuring of nanoparticles at the in situ condition is a common but complex phenomenon in nanoscience. Here, we present the first systematic survey on the structure dynamics and its catalytic consequence for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Pt nanoparticles, as represented by a magic number Pt44 octahedron (∼1 nm size). Using a first principles calculation based global structure sea...

Water is a life-giving source, fundamental to human existence, yet over a billion people lack access to clean drinking water. The present techniques for water treatment such as piped, treated water rely on time and resource intensive centralized solutions. In this work, we propose a decentralized device concept that can utilize sunlight to split water into hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide. The hy...

Providing energy for a population projected to reach 9 billion people within the middle of this century is one of the most pressing societal issues. Burning fossil fuels at a rate and scale that satisfy our near-term demand will irreversibly damage the living environment. Among the various sources of alternative and CO2-emission-free energies, the sun is the only source that is capable of provi...

We report details of an amperometric method for measurement of hydrogen (H2) in the aqueous phase and its application to hydrogen evolution by an alga. Although amperometric measurement of hydrogen is not common, we wondered whether the conventional Clark electrode for measurement of oxygen could be applied to measurement of hydrogen simply by proper choice of voltage. Initial tests were encour...

Warm Neptuneand sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets in orbits smaller than Mercury’s are thought to have experienced extensive atmospheric evolution. Here we propose that a potential outcome of this atmospheric evolution is the formation of helium-dominated atmospheres. The hydrodynamic escape rates of Neptuneand sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets are comparable to the diffusion-limited escape rate of hydro...

Nitrogen-starved cultures of the alga Anabaena cylindrica 629 produced hydrogen and oxygen continuously for 7 to 19 days. Hydrogen production attained a maximum level after 1 to 2 days of starvation and was followed by a slow decline. The maximum rates were 30 ml of H2 evolved per liter of culture per h or 32 mul of H2 per mg of dry weight per h. In 5 to 7 days the rate of H2 evolution by the m...

There is great interest in hydrogen evolution in bioelectrochemical systems, such as microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), but these systems require non-optimal near-neutral pH conditions and the use of low-cost, non-precious metal catalysts. Here we show that molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) composite cathodes have electrochemical performance superior to stainless steel (SS) (currently the most prom...

Tungsten trioxide nanorods have been generated by the thermal decomposition (450 C) of tetrabutylammonium decatungstate. The synthesized tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanorods have been characterized by XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM, HRTEM and cyclic voltammetry. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the synthesized WO3 nanorods are crystalline in nature w...

Several cobalt complexes catalyze the evolution of hydrogen from acidic solutions, both homogeneously and at electrodes. The detailed molecular mechanisms of these transformations remain unresolved, largely owing to the fact that key reactive intermediates have eluded detection. One method of stabilizing reactive intermediates involves minimizing the overall reaction free-energy change. Here, w...