Bulletin No. 2, 2014

Scientists, Muses and their Labs  7  Chemist’s Quest for Clean Fuel A discovery by Prof. Jimmy Yu , professor in the Department of Chemistry and associate director of the CUHK Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, may have brought progress to the quest for clean energy. Professor Yu and his team discovered that when exposed to sunlight, red phosphorous—the most stable and common kind of phosphorous, emits bubbles of hydrogen gas, a clean fuel. Phosphorous is abundant (it makes up about 0.1% of the earth’s crust) and can be extracted fairly easily. It works across the spectrum of natural sunlight, making it ideal for use in the generation of clean power. The light acts as an irradiation source that stimulates the catalyst and induces chemical reactions. Professor Yu’s water-splitting process functions at room temperature, with the phosphorous separating the individual elements in H 2 O. Hydrogen has a very high fuel capacity, meaning it creates more energy than any other chemical fuel. Unlike petrol- based fuels, there is no greenhouse-gas byproduct when it burns, with only water left at the end of the reaction. The researchers are now experimenting with various cr ystal forms of red phosphorous, since different crystals vary in their effectiveness in generating hydrogen. ‘ The final goal is to develop an environmentally friendly way to generate clean fuel. We hope to offer some possible solutions.’