A team of engineers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) drew on plant leaves as inspiration for the device, which they say can be easily manufactured and used on a large scale.
When exposed to sunlight, the device absorbs water from the air and produces hydrogen. The hydrogen produced in this way could be used as fuel or for the long-term storage of solar energy, the authors wrote in the scientific journal “Advanced Materials” on Wednesday.
The main innovation in the model are the novel electrodes, which have two key properties: they are porous, in order to maximise contact with water in the air, and they are transparent, in order to maximise solar radiation on the semiconductor coating.
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Green hydrogen vies for centre stage in climate change fight
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As world leaders come under growing pressure to tackle climate change, green hydrogen is gaining traction as an important part of the solution.
In its current form, the prototype can already produce hydrogen when exposed to the sun’s rays. However, the scientists admit that efficiency is still “modest”.
The next step is to optimise the prototype, including through determining the ideal fibre and pore size as well as the most suitable materials.
To produce the electrodes, the researchers fused glass fibres together at high temperatures. The resulting platelets were coated with a thin layer of fluorine-reinforced tin oxide – a material known for its conductivity, robustness and ease of production. The plate was then given another coating: a thin film of light-absorbing semiconductor materials.
Federal offices and Xplain adopt data protection recommendations
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Swiss authorities and its private contract processors are required to review their cooperation after an investigation into leaked data.
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Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in northern Armenia and cost lives. Switzerland dispatched a team of seven engineers to the region.
Swiss House of Representatives does not want to recognise Palestine as a state
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By 131 votes to 61 with 2 abstentions, the House of Representatives said 'no' to the postulate put forth by the Social Democratic Party.
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The peak of the snow accumulation was most likely reached on Monday, wrote glaciologist Matthias Huss on the social media platform X on Tuesday.
US Vice President Harris to attend Ukraine peace conference
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US Vice President Kamala Harris and US President Joe Biden's security advisor, Jake Sullivan, will take part in the Ukraine peace conference.
FINMA director expects cooperation and transparency from banks
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"I demand complete and unfiltered access to all information", said the director of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority said in an interview.
Swiss Senate wants additional billions for the army
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The increase in the payment framework is intended to ensure that the army budget reaches the target value of 1% of gross domestic product by 2030.
Swiss Senate rejects special fund for army and Ukraine
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There will be no CHF15 billion ($17 billion) special fund for the army and reconstruction in Ukraine. The Senate has clearly rejected a motion by its security policy committee.
Earthquake service reports 4.4 magnitude quake in central Switzerland
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The earthquake was probably felt throughout Switzerland, according to the Swiss Seismological Service of federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
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SWISS plans partial shift towards solar fuel
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Swiss International Air Lines plans to start using small amounts of solar fuel in its planes as of next year, the company’s CEO has said.
How sustainable fuels created from thin air could solve the energy crisis
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Swiss scientists have built a mini solar refinery that produces synthetic fuel from just sunlight and air. The technology is now being scaled up.
The Swiss firm that wants to power planes with green jet fuel
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The Swiss company Synhelion is developing the world’s first industrial-scale plant to produce synthetic fuels from CO2, methane, water and sunlight.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.