Abstract
Microscopic defects on a catalyst made of carbon and iron actively drive the hydrogen evolution reaction, one of the key steps in liberating hydrogen from water, according to a study that combines electrochemical analysis with atomic resolution microscopy ( Nat. Catal. 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41929-021-00682-2 ). If scientists can find catalysts that efficiently split water into hydrogen and oxygen , then the oceans could serve as a nearly limitless supply of clean-burning, carbon-free hydrogen fuel for transportation and other uses. Precious metals work well as catalysts, but they’re expensive. So a team led by Stefano Agnoli and Gaetano Granozzi of the University of Padua examined inexpensive model catalysts consisting of thin films of graphene and iron. Sandwiches made from those films can be highly active electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, but how they work is unclear. The researchers used electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy to examine the films while they mediated the catalytic
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