Energy and the Physical Sciences: Hydrogen Production using a Proton Electron Buffer

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We propose to develop 'proton-electron-buffers' (PEBs) using redox-active polyoxometalate (POM) clusters that will be able, for the first time, to address the problem of simultaneous oxygen and hydrogen production during the electrolysis of water. It is anticipated that the use of a PEB in the water-splitting reaction will allow new catalysts, electrodes, and device architectures to be employed in electrolysers, and we will investigate both these new designs and the use of PEBs with exisiting electrolyser technology. Using a PEB in an electrolyser could also bring significant advantages with regards to intermittent power supplies (such as renewables) by reducing the instantaneous voltages required for electrolysis to occur. There could also be significant advantages In addition to exploring water splitting through the paradigm of the proton-electron-buffer, we will also explore the use of reduced polyoxometalate clusters as an intermediate "fuel source", by reacting the reduced PEBs with reducible chemical substrates to produce storable fuels. Thus this work could pave the way to a totally new route to 'clean' low-carbon H2 production temporally separated from the production of oxygen, as well as reducing energy consumption through technological advances informed by a whole system understanding as highlighted by the RCUK Energy Programme.