Researchers developed a solar paint offers harvest energy from water vapor

solar paint

Australian researchers developed a solar paint capable of pulling water molecules from the air and splitting them into oxygen and hydrogen to generate hydrogen the cleanest source of energy.

The solar paint depends on a new material, synthetic molybdenum-sulphide. The compound acts like silica gel, absorbing moisture from its surroundings.

The new material serves as a catalyst in combination with energy derived from the sun. Triggering a chain of chemical reactions that can divide water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

The new developed compound used in sachets for absorbing moisture and keep food, medicines and electronics fresh and dry.

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Torben Daeneke, a material scientist at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said, we found that mixing the compound with titanium oxide particles leads to a sunlight-absorbing paint that produces hydrogen fuel from solar energy and moist air," lead researcher.

Titanium oxide

Titanium oxide is a white pigment, used in wall paint. The simple addition of the new material can also convert a brick wall into energy harvesting and fuel production real estate.

The new development has a big range of advantages. There’s no need to clean or filtered water to feed the system. Any place that has water vapor in the air, even remote areas far from water, can produce fuel.

Hydrogen is the cleanest source of energy used in fuel cells and conventional combustion engines an alternative to fossil fuels.

Researchers said, the new system can also used in very dry but hot climates near oceans. The sea water is evaporates by sunlight and the vapor can then be absorbed to produce fuel. This is an extraordinary concept making fuel from the sun and water vapor in the air.

More information: [ACS NANO]