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Chemistry

Graphene with ripples could help make better hydrogen fuel cells

The one-atom-thick layer of carbon known as graphene can split hydrogen 100 times more efficiently than an equivalent mass of the best catalysts because of its strange nanoripples

By Alex Wilkins

28 March 2023

rippled graphene with dissociated hydrogen atoms on top

Representation of nanoripples in sheets of graphene, which make it react well with hydrogen (shown in yellow)

Pengzhan

Graphene can split hydrogen 100 times better than any known chemical catalyst thanks to tiny ripples on its surface. It could potentially be used to develop more effective hydrogen fuel cells and make many industrial processes more efficient.

A one-atom-thick layer of carbon, graphene is essentially a slice of graphite. The latter is an extremely unreactive compound because of its strong carbon bonds.

However, Andre Geim at the University of Manchester, UK, and …

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