Researchers at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) have developed a hydrogen generation technique using visible light and semiconducting polymer dots that could help turn hydrogen into an alternative energy source.
NTHU Department of Chemical Engineering assistant professor Chou Ho-hsiu (周鶴修) and his team on July 13 published their findings in the journal ACS Catalysis in a paper titled “Design and Synthesis of Cycloplatinated Polymer Dots as Photocatalysts for Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution.”
Hydrogen is regarded as a green fuel, as its combustion only produces water and heat, and finding methods to generate it using sunlight and water is a crucial goal of the US Department of Energy, Chou said.
Photo provided by Chou Ho-hsiu
Most techniques use methane — the main component of natural gas — to produce hydrogen, emitting carbon dioxide in the process and contributing to global warming, he said.
Such techniques also use transition metals as cocatalysts to increase the efficiency, but the metals often produce toxic elements in the process, team member Chang Chih-li (張之勵) said.
After experimenting with different techniques over the past year, the team found that semiconducting polymer dots increase efficiency without releasing toxic elements, Chang said.
Photo courtesy of Chou Ho-hsiu
They designed a series of cycloplatinated polymer dots and introduced metal cocatalysts into polymer dots that are of low toxicity, overcoming the problem that toxic cocatalysts cannot be recycled, Chou said.
Polymer dots could be recycled and become part of a circular economy, and they could also be applied to in the production of hydrogen through electrolysis of water or by using inorganic compounds, he said.
The team is planning to patent its technique in Taiwan and the US, Chou added.
Many countries, including the US, Japan, Germany and China, have plans to use hydrogen energy to gradually replace fossil fuels, including natural gas and oil, he said.
Domestic research on the use of hydrogen in the energy system should be elevated to the level of national strategic considerations, helping Taiwan position itself in the global race for hydrogen energy technology, Chou added.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
RSS