Paderborn University to manage Franco-German hydrogen initiative

For the next three years, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and its French partner organization “Agence nationale de la research” (ANR) are sponsoring a new initiative directed by Paderborn chemist Prof. Dr. Matthias Bauer.

New compounds that combine the utilization of sunlight with the creation of hydrogen are to be developed with a grant of about one million euros.

The researchers are relying on materials that, for the first time, do not require the use of costly and difficult-to-extract precious metals. Instead, just iron and cobalt are utilized, both of which are abundant on the planet. The team of scientists can enhance the ecological balance of green hydrogen generation using his technique. The University of Paderborn hopes that by doing so, it may contribute to national and worldwide efforts to develop new hydrogen technology.

The use of green hydrogen is a critical component of the energy transition. “Hydrogen may be used to operate large areas of industry and transportation in an ecologically benign manner. “In addition to the well-established ways of electrolysis using wind and solar electricity, direct conversion of sunlight to hydrogen is another avenue that will need to be explored further in the future,” Bauer adds.

The Paderborn experts, led by the chemist, have authorized a project that looks into the future, when raw resources are becoming increasingly limited. As a result, hydrogen-generating devices must rely on components that are readily available in huge amounts. Materials that gather light and turn it into chemical energy are necessary to create hydrogen from sunshine. For this, iron is employed, which is biocompatible and can be acquired in an environmentally responsible manner. The chemical energy is converted to hydrogen in a cobalt-based second component.

The method is based on the example of a plant leaf, which captures a large amount of sunlight and turns it into chemical energy sources. “The initiative demonstrates how interesting basic research may be linked to serious social challenges in a powerful way.” “We are delighted to be able to contribute to the hydrogen strategy as part of an international team that includes scientists from Strasbourg, Metz, Nancy, Berlin, and Paderborn,” Bauer added.