Hydrogen spillover is exactly what it sounds like. Small metal nanoparticles anchored on a thermally stable oxide, like silica, comprise a major class of catalysts, which are substances used to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed themselves. The catalytic reaction usually occurs on the reactive -- and expensive -- metal, but on some catalysts, hydrogen atom-like equivalents literally spill from the metal to the oxide. These hydrogen-on-oxide species are called "hydrogen spillover."
First described in 1964, the curiosity has garnered more attention recently as a potential pathway to harness hydrogen for clean energy; however, it hasn't gained much headway, according to Bert Chandler, professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Penn State. That's in large part because, while researchers have been able to identify hydrogen spillover for nearly 60 years, no one has been able to quantify it and describe the mechanism underpinning the phenomenon -- until now.
With some luck and a lot of work, Chandler said, a Penn State-led research team has discovered how and why hydrogen spillover occurs and provided the first quantitative measurement of the process. They published their findings in Nature Catalysis.
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