CEPEA research group news

DIFFER researchers have constructed an ingenious plasma-activated electrolysis device that effectively breaks nitrogen gas and splits water into the energy-rich products hydrogen and nitric oxide. Water reduction and nitrogen fixation are key processes in providing fuels and chemical feedstock for wide variety of societal purposes.

It sounds like magic: you put a dedicated device in contact with air, expose it to sunlight and it starts producing fuel, for free.  That is the basic idea behind the fundamental research conducted by DIFFER, the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, in association with Toyota Motor Europe (TME).

Het klinkt als een goocheltruc: je brengt een speciaal apparaat in contact met lucht, laat er zonlicht op vallen, en het produceert gratis brandstof. Toch is dit het basisidee van onderzoeker Mihalis Tsampas (DIFFER - Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research) in samenwerking met Toyota Motor Europe (TME).