Found this in Science Daily, a straightforward science story for the common man (like me. 
) The article starts with the text below. Click on the picture for the complete article.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have shown that a one-atom thick film of molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) may work as an effective catalyst for creating hydrogen. The work opens a new door for the production of cheap hydrogen.
Hydrogen holds great promise as an energy source, but the production of hydrogen from water electrolysis -- freeing hydrogen from water with electricity -- currently relies in large part on the use of expensive platinum catalysts. The new research shows that MoS2 atomically thin films are also effective catalysts for hydrogen production and -- while not as efficient as platinum -- are relatively inexpensive.
"We found that the thickness of the thin film is very important," says Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and senior author of a paper describing the work. "A thin film consisting of a single layer of atoms was the most efficient, with every additional layer of atoms making the catalytic performance approximately five times worse."
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This concept is cool for two reasons, guys.
(1) They’re making cheap hydrogen so we can stop using gasoline and start drive around in cars that float like the Hindenburg ( – okay, I’m just kidding about the floating part).
(2) They’re using a piece of material that’s only one molecule thick – but not as a filter, as a catalyst.
I’ll let the article explain the rest of this development.
) The article starts with the text below. Click on the picture for the complete article.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have shown that a one-atom thick film of molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) may work as an effective catalyst for creating hydrogen. The work opens a new door for the production of cheap hydrogen.
Hydrogen holds great promise as an energy source, but the production of hydrogen from water electrolysis -- freeing hydrogen from water with electricity -- currently relies in large part on the use of expensive platinum catalysts. The new research shows that MoS2 atomically thin films are also effective catalysts for hydrogen production and -- while not as efficient as platinum -- are relatively inexpensive.
"We found that the thickness of the thin film is very important," says Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and senior author of a paper describing the work. "A thin film consisting of a single layer of atoms was the most efficient, with every additional layer of atoms making the catalytic performance approximately five times worse."
_______________________________________________
This concept is cool for two reasons, guys.
(1) They’re making cheap hydrogen so we can stop using gasoline and start drive around in cars that float like the Hindenburg ( – okay, I’m just kidding about the floating part).
(2) They’re using a piece of material that’s only one molecule thick – but not as a filter, as a catalyst.
I’ll let the article explain the rest of this development.
