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The solution enables low cost, high performance, and compact hydrogen production systems not previously attainable.
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Semiconducting Group III-Nitride Nanowires for Photochemical Splitting of Water to Generate Hydrogen Overview: McGill University is seeking to outlicense intellectual property relating to systems and processes for the photocatalytic spitting of water and generation of H2. The system is characterized as GaN surfaces grown on Si(111) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy, that incorporate Rh/Cr2O3 core-shell nanostructures photodeposited as co-catalysts. These III-nitride hetero-structures are viable photocatalytic systems for achieving stable water splitting and generation of Hydrogen. Moreover, the realization of waferlevel photocatalytic water splitting, compared to conventional powder based approaches, enables low cost, high performance, and compact hydrogen production systems not previously attainable. In the absence of a Cr2O3 shell that encases the Rh nanoparticle core, pure water splitting is not observed because noble metals, such as Rh and Pt typically promote reverse reaction. In the present system the Rh/Cr2O3 nanoparticles serve to catalyze formation of H2 and O2 and simultaneously inhibit reverse catalysis.