Hydrogen generation

The idea of an economy supported by hydrogen is still being considered by government bodies and major oil companies. The extensive use of hydrogen as a fuel has many applications in pollution-free technologies which could be of every-day use in society. Examples are in transportation and power generation; other uses include chemical technology, metallurgy, effluent processing and water production. For mass application the most appropriate process for hydrogen production is water electrolysis. To this end, a simplified description of the hydrogen and oxygen evolution mechanisms is presented. Understanding these mechanisms will provide a basis for making water electrolysis more efficient. For this reason special attention is given to the design of catalysts for water electrolysis