Controlling electron spin for efficient water splitting

Water is made of oxygen and hydrogen, and splitting water molecules to produce hydrogen for fuel is a promising path for alternative energy. One of the main obstacles to making hydrogen production a reality is that current methods of water splitting result in hydrogen peroxide also being formed: This affects both the efficiency of the reaction and the stability of the production process. Israeli and Dutch researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Eindhoven University of Technology have succeeded in almost fully suppressing the production of hydrogen peroxide by controlling the spin of electrons in the reaction. The group published these findings this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The efficient production of hydrogen paves the way toward the use of solar energy to split water.