Graphene’s proton permeability: A switch for future energy technologies

"Understanding the connection between electronic and ion transport properties in electrode-electrolyte interfaces at the molecular scale could enable new strategies to accelerate processes central to many renewable energy technologies, including hydrogen generation and utilisation." Researchers from the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester have discovered a way to use light to accelerate proton transport through graphene , which could revolutionise the way we generate hydrogen. Proton transport is a key step in many renewable energy technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells and solar water splitting, and it was also previously shown to be permeable to protons by Manchester scientists. A new study published in Nature Communications has shown that light can be used to accelerate proton transport through graphene. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms that is an excellent conductor of both electricity and heat. However, it was previously thought that graphene was impermeable to protons. The researchers found that when graphene is illuminated with light, the electrons in the graphene become excited.