"Metal-Free Organic Photocatalyst Advances Solar-Driven Green Hydrogen Production"
Green hydrogen
hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, with zero carbon emissions
Photocatalyst
a material that absorbs light and uses that energy to drive a chemical reaction such as water splitting
Hydrogen is widely regarded as one of the most promising clean energy carriers. When burned or used in a fuel cell, it produces only water. This makes it a genuinely zero-emission fuel at the point of use. Hydrogen can be used directly in internal combustion engines, blended with natural gas for heat and power generation, or fed into hydrogen fuel cells to run vehicles. It is also critical for decarbonising hard-to-abate industries such as fertiliser plants, oil refineries, and steel plants, where direct electrification is difficult.
Not all hydrogen is equally clean, however. Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas reforming combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Green hydrogen, by contrast, is produced through electrolysis of water powered entirely by renewable electricity. Green hydrogen is therefore genuinely decarbonised from production to use. Recognising this potential, India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which aims to abate nearly 50 million metric tonnes (MMT) of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and position India as a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.
One promising route to green hydrogen is solar-driven water splitting: using sunlight to break water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. This is conceptually similar to natural photosynthesis, where plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into chemical energy. Most existing photocatalysts for this process rely on inorganic semiconductors or precious metals such as platinum. These materials are expensive, scarce, and raise sustainability concerns. Developing efficient metal-free organic photocatalysts has therefore been a major scientific challenge, and a key frontier in clean energy research.
A photocatalyst is a material that absorbs light and uses that energy to drive a chemical reaction. In solar water splitting, the photocatalyst absorbs sunlight, generates electrically charged particles (electrons and holes), and uses them to break water into hydrogen and oxygen. The efficiency of this process depends on three things: how well the material absorbs light, how effectively it separates the generated charges before they recombine, and how much surface area is available for the catalytic reaction.
Organic molecules can, in principle, do all of this without any metal. Perylene diimide (PDI) is a well-known organic molecule with strong light-absorbing properties. However, in its bulk (unorganised) form, its photocatalytic performance is limited because charge separation is inefficient and light absorption is narrow.
Supramolecular self-assembly is the process by which molecules spontaneously organise themselves into ordered structures through non-covalent interactions, without any external direction. …
Which of the following statements with regard to Green Hydrogen is/are correct?
1.It is decarbonized hydrogen obtained from natural gas reforming combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
2.It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy.
3.National Green Hydrogen Mission of India aims for abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Select the answer using the code given below:
With reference to green hydrogen, consider the following statements:
1.It can be used directly as a fuel for internal combustion.
2.It can be blended with natural gas and used as fuel for heat or power generation.
3.It can be used in the hydrogen fuel cell to run vehicles.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following heavy industries:
1.Fertilizer plants
2.Oil refineries
3.Steel plants
Green hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in decarbonizing how many of the above industries?
With reference to green hydrogen, consider the following statements:
1.It is produced by electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable sources.
2.It can be blended with natural gas for heat or power generation.
3.Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas reforming combined with carbon capture and storage.
4.Green hydrogen combustion produces only water as a by-product.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements about India's National Green Hydrogen Mission:
1.It aims to produce 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2030.
2.It targets abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
3.It aims to position India as a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Industry — Role of Green Hydrogen
1.Fertilizer plants — Feedstock replacement for fossil-fuel-derived hydrogen
2.Steel plants — Replacement for coking coal in direct reduction of iron ore
3.Oil refineries — Replacement for natural gas in hydrocracking processes
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
With reference to the research on metal-free organic photocatalysts for green hydrogen production, consider the following statements:
1.The photocatalyst was developed at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology.
2.The system uses perylene diimide combined with aspartic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid.
3.The self-assembled nanosheet form of the material produced higher photocurrent than its bulk counterpart.
4.The process requires a precious metal co-catalyst to drive the hydrogen evolution reaction.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Which of the following best describes the process of 'supramolecular self-assembly' as used in photocatalyst research?
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