Ua ʻike lōʻihi ka poʻe ʻepekema ʻo ka platinum ka mea hoʻoikaika maikaʻi loa no ka hoʻokaʻawale ʻana i nā molekala wai e hana i ke kinoea hydrogen. ʻO kahi noiʻi hou e nā mea noiʻi o ke Kulanui ʻo Brown e hōʻike ana i ke kumu e hana maikaʻi ai ka platinum-a ʻaʻole ia ke kumu i manaʻo ʻia.

ʻO ka noiʻi, i paʻi ʻia ma ACS Catalysis, kōkua i ka hoʻonā ʻana i kahi nīnau noiʻi kokoke i ke kenekulia, wahi a nā mea kākau. A hiki ke kōkua i ka hoʻolālā ʻana i nā catalysts hou no ka hana ʻana i ka hydrogen i ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi a ʻoi aku ka nui ma mua o ka platinum. Hiki i kēia ke kōkua i ka hōʻemi ʻana i ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana mai nā wahie fossil.

"Inā hiki iā mākou ke noʻonoʻo pehea e hana ai i ka hydrogen me ka maʻalahi a me ka maikaʻi, wehe ia i ka puka i ka nui o nā hoʻonā pragmatic no nā wahie a me nā kemika manuahi ʻole," i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Andrew Peterson, he kumu kaukaʻi ma Brown's School of Engineering a me ka mea kākau kiʻekiʻe o ka noiʻi. . "Hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia ka hydrogen i loko o nā pūnaewele wahie, i hui pū ʻia me ka CO2 keu aʻe e hana ai i wahie a i hui pū ʻia me ka nitrogen e hana i ka fertilizer amonia. Nui nā mea hiki iā mākou ke hana me ka hydrogen, akā no ka hoʻokaʻawale ʻana i ka wai i kahi kumu hydrogen scalable, pono mākou i kahi catalyst ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi.

Hoʻomaka ka hoʻolālā ʻana i nā catalysts hou me ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ke ʻano o ka platinum i mea kūikawā no kēia pane, wahi a Peterson, a ʻo ia ka mea i manaʻo ʻia e kēia noiʻi hou e ʻike.

ʻO ka lanakila o Platinum ua loaʻa i kona mana ikaika "Goldilocks". Paʻa nā mea hoʻoheheʻe kūpono i ka hana ʻana i nā molekala ʻaʻole ʻoluʻolu a paʻa paha, akā ma kahi o ka waena. E hoʻopaʻa i nā molekala a paʻakikī ka hoʻomaka ʻana i kahi pane. E hoʻopaʻa paʻa iā lākou a pili nā molekala i ka ʻili o ka catalyst, e paʻakikī ai ka hoʻopau ʻana. ʻO ka ikehu hoʻopaʻa ʻana o ka hydrogen ma ka platinum e hoʻohālikelike pono i nā ʻāpana ʻelua o ka hoʻoheheʻe wai-a no laila ua manaʻo ka hapa nui o nā ʻepekema ʻo ia ke ʻano e maikaʻi ai ka platinum.

Akā aia nā kumu e nīnau ai inā pololei kēlā kiʻi, wahi a Peterson. No ka laʻana, ʻo kahi mea i kapa ʻia ʻo molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) he ikehu hoʻopaʻa like me ka platinum, akā ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ka hopena no ka hoʻoheheʻe wai. Hōʻike ʻia ʻaʻole hiki ke hoʻopaʻa i ka ikehu ka moʻolelo piha, wahi a Peterson.

No ka ʻike ʻana i ka mea e hana nei, ua aʻo ʻo ia a me kāna mau hoa hana i ka hopena hoʻokaʻawale wai ma nā catalysts platinum me ka hoʻohana ʻana i kahi ala kūikawā a lākou i kūkulu ai e hoʻohālikelike i ka ʻano o kēlā me kēia atom a me nā electron i nā hopena electrochemical.

Ua hōʻike ka hōʻike ʻana ʻaʻole komo maoli nā ʻātoma hydrogen i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i ka ʻili o ka platinum ma ka ikehu hoʻopaʻa "Goldilocks" i ka pane ʻana i ka wā kiʻekiʻe ka pane. Akā, hoʻopaʻa lākou iā lākou iho i loko o ka papa crystalline ili o ka platinum, kahi e noho mau ai lākou. 'Oi aku ka nawaliwali o na'atoma hydrogen e komo ana i ka hopena ma mua o ka ikehu "Goldilocks" i manaoia. A ma mua o ka hoʻomoe ʻana i ka lattice, noho lākou ma luna o nā ʻātoma platinum, kahi i kūʻokoʻa ai lākou e hui pū me kekahi e hana i ke kinoea H2.

ʻO ia ke kūʻokoʻa o ka neʻe ʻana no nā hydrogen atoms ma luna o ka ʻili e hana ai i ka platinum e hoʻoikaika nui, hoʻopau nā mea noiʻi.

"ʻO ka mea e haʻi mai nei iā mākou ʻo ka ʻimi ʻana i kēia 'Goldilocks' paʻa ikaika ʻaʻole ia ke kumu hoʻolālā kūpono no ka ʻāina hana kiʻekiʻe," wahi a Peterson. "Ke manaʻo nei mākou ʻo ka hoʻolālā ʻana i nā catalysts e hoʻokomo i ka hydrogen i kēia kūlana paʻa a me ka reactive ke ala e hele ai."