Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TODE20250731010
- Term of Validity
- 1 August 2025 - 1 August 2026
- Company's Country
- Germany
- Type of partnership
- Investment agreement
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
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Molecular Hydrogen will be a key player in the clean and sustainable energy quest. Its high exothermic combustion allows to replace carbon-based fuels. In this evolving market, storing sunlight energy into H2 bonds is a promising strategy.
Research-and development partners, investors and industrial applicants are sought to further develop this nanomaterial-based H2-production from TRL 3 to TRL 5 and beyond. - Full Description
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Today, combinations of plasmonic nanoparticles (NP) with catalytically active ones are focus of intense research in the context of photocatalysis. Sub-wavelength metallic NPs present unique optical responses, driven by localized surface plasmon resonances.
In nanomaterial-based Hydrogen production, the well-ordered arrangement of the plasmonic NP into so-called supercrystals enables extremely strong and favorable light interactions which can be utilized for catalysis.
These are not possible in colloidal solution (randomly dispersed nanoparticles in liquid). In colloidal systems, multiple scattering and absorption limit how deep light can penetrate, especially at higher concentrations. As a result, many particles remain inactive, wasting material and light energy. Moreover, ligands on nanoparticles can detach under light, causing particles to aggregate, which disrupts optical properties and reduces catalytic efficiency.
By assembling individual gold nanospheres (AuNS) and platinum NPs (PtNPs) using a colloidal approach, the researchers obtained highly ordered plasmonic bimetallic supercrystals. AuNS were assembled into a periodic hexagonal array and PtNPs placed in the interparticle gaps, extending the preferred antenna reactor configuration throughout the structure.
The research institute has proven, unlike previous catalysts, which are often disordered and inefficient, that these supercrystals position catalytic platinum particles precisely at optical hotspots formed by the gold lattice. Typical colloidal suspensions lead to inconsistent light interaction, weak field enhancement and uncontrolled spacing between catalytic and plasmonic particles.
Wavelength-dependent experiments of the highly ordered supercrystals revealed that the strong e-field enhancements in the hotspots boost the absorption of PtNPs, thus increasing the excited carrier generation – unachievable in colloidal suspensions.
The remarkable activity was achieved with very low Pt loading. This leads to significantly higher output of H2, with improved energy efficiency by keeping particles fixed in position, as well as being mechanically and optically stable. Once this structure has been set up, it can be used multiple times for H2-production .
Please find more technical details in this publication in Nature Catalysis:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-023-01053-9 - Advantages and Innovations
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The novel result presented in this research demonstrates significant advantages over the state-of-the-art in photocatalysis for H2 generation:
1) Enhanced H2 Generation Rate: The bimetallic AuPt supercrystal achieved an H2 generation rate of 139 mmol/(gcat·h) under visible light illumination, which is higher than existing top performers for formic acid dehydrogenation.
2) Low Platinum Loading: The remarkable catalytic activity was achieved with minimal platinum usage, making the approach more cost-effective compared to other methods that rely heavily on expensive catalytic metals.
3) Synergistic Plasmonic-Catalytic Effect: The enhanced catalytic performance is primarily driven by the intensity of electromagnetic fields at plasmonic hotspots, rather than heat or charge transfer. This precise mechanism allows for better utilization of catalytic sites.
4) Scalable and Well-Defined Architecture: The supercrystals maintain a highly ordered structure over several square millimeters, enabling consistent performance and scalability for practical applications.
5) Layer Tunability: The ability to control parameters such as interparticle gap size, particle size, and number of layers provides flexibility to optimize catalytic performance.
6) Improved Activation Barrier: The activation barrier for the reaction was reduced by 10% under light illumination, further enhancing efficiency.
These advancements position the bimetallic supercrystals as promising candidates for sustainable and efficient sunlight-driven H2 production, surpassing the limitations of current technologies. Competitive advantages such as higher H2 production from formic acid (CH2O2) in comparison with top performers and two-fold increase in H2 production from CH2O2 at solar irradiances (see Figure 1). - Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
- Expertise is required in development, production and scale-up of nanomaterial-based H2-production.
- Stage of Development
- Lab tested
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- IPR status
- IPR granted
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
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Expertise is required in development, production and scale-up of nanomaterial-based H2-production.
The research institute is open to collaboration in the following forms:
- Research and Development (R&D) cooperation
- Licensing agreements
- Transfer of rights - Type and Size of Partner
- University
- R&D Institution
- SME 11-49
- SME 50 - 249
- Big company
- SME <=10
- Type of partnership
- Investment agreement
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 04002002 - Hydrogen production
- 02007012 - Optical Materials
- 04008003 - Micro- and Nanotechnology related to energy
- 02007024 - Nanomaterials
- Market keywords
- 06003008 - Other alternative energy
- 06007001 - Other energy production
- Sector Groups Involved
- Energy-Intensive Industries
- Targeted countries
- Afghanistan
- Aland Islands
- Albania
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antarctica
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bouvet Island
- Brazil
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Christmas Island
- Cocos Islands
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- French Southern Territories
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guernsey
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- Netherlands Antilles
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestinian Territory
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Pitcairn
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Republic of the Congo
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Sint Maarten
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor Leste
- Togo
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Tuvalu
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- United States Minor Outlying Islands
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wallis and Futuna
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
