Green hydrogen, one of the cleanest known fuels, can decarbonize industries and automotive sectors, propelling a sustainable future. Recently, Indian scientists announced the development of a scalable next-generation device that produces green hydrogen by splitting water molecules, relying solely on solar energy without fossil fuels or other energy-dependent methods.

This advancement was announced by scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The method uses only solar energy and abundant Earth materials, independent of fossil fuels or expensive resources.

In solar green hydrogen production, the Indian team designed a silicon-based photoanode with an innovative n-i-p heterojunction structure, composed of stacked n-type TiO₂, intrinsic (undoped) Si, and p-type NiO semiconductor layers, working together to enhance charge separation and transport efficiency. These materials were deposited using magnetron sputtering, a scalable and industry-ready technique ensuring precision and efficiency.

According to the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology, this method achieves better light absorption, faster charge transport, and reduced recombination losses—key factors for efficient solar-to-hydrogen conversion. The device achieved an excellent surface photovoltage of 600mV and a low onset potential of around 0.11 V RHE, making it highly effective at generating hydrogen under solar energy. Moreover, it demonstrated long-term stability, operating continuously for over 10 hours in alkaline conditions with only a 4% performance drop—a rare achievement in Si-based photoelectrochemical systems.

The new device features high efficiency, low energy consumption, high durability, and low-cost materials. Even at larger scales, the photoanode delivers excellent water-splitting results. Lead researcher Dr. Ashutosh K. Singh stated: "By selecting smart materials and combining them into a heterostructure, we have created a device that not only boosts performance but can also be produced on a large scale, bringing us one step closer to affordable, large-scale solar-to-hydrogen energy systems." The team also noted that with further development, solar technology could fuel hydrogen-based energy systems from homes to factories.

Currently, multiple advancements in green hydrogen have been made worldwide. Automotive and energy companies are striving for better, more efficient methods to leverage green hydrogen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and costs. At the same time, various research projects are underway to seek improved large-scale green hydrogen production methods. Earlier this month, a research group at Hanyang University's ERICA Campus in Korea also announced a new green hydrogen production technology, where the team used metal-organic frameworks to tune boron doping and phosphorus content, developing cobalt phosphide-based nanomaterials.