Solar-powered artificial leaf produces hydrogen while cleaning seawater
NTU Singapore device breaks down toxic pollutant and generates clean fuel without external power
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed a solar-powered device that generates hydrogen from seawater while simultaneously degrading hydrazine, a highly toxic industrial wastewater pollutant. The proof-of-concept artificial leaf, described in Nature Communications, combines a miniature solar cell, an electrolyzer, and a wastewater treatment system into one unit, producing hydrogen at a rate of 466 μmol per square centimeter per hour and reducing hydrazine concentrations from 0.5 M to 0.5 parts per billion, well below US EPA limits.