A new way to produce hydrogen with aluminum and water

Penn State University and Virginia Commonwealth University scientists have discovered a way to produce hydrogen by exposing selected clusters of aluminum atoms to water. The artist's concept shows aluminum clusters reacting with water to produce hydrogen. The image on the bottom depicts a water molecule. One hydrogen atom (red ball) and two oxygen atoms (silver balls) split on the surface of an aluminum cluster. The blue regions are Lewis-acid sites and the orange regions are Lewis-base sites. The upper-right image shows multiple water molecules binding to the active sites of an aluminum cluster. The upper-left image shows the release of hydrogen (two silver balls surrounded by orange halo). Learn more.