FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Friday, September 30, 2005

Nanotubes Extract Hydrogen from Water

As touted as it is as the energy source of the future, hydrogen is difficult and expensive to produce. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a process to extract hydrogen from water that's twice as efficient as previous methods.

The process uses "defective" carbon nanotubes; their defect is that they are incomplete and therefore more reactive, pulling out hydrogen atoms.

This process is of interest because it doesn't require high temperatures, which has been a limitation to hydrogen production. The researchers note, however, that their work is early and that it could be years, if ever, before their process becomes commercially viable.

Source: Worldchanging