From the first one:
Rutgers researchers have synthesized cobalt-embedded nitrogen-rich carbon nanotubes (NRCNTs) that 1) can efficiently electrocatalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with activities close to that of costly platinum and 2) function well under acidic, neutral or basic media alike, allowing them to be coupled with the best available oxygen-evolving catalysts—which also play crucial roles in the overall water-splitting reaction. ...
The materials are synthesized by a simple, easily scalable synthetic route involving thermal treatment of Co2+-embedded graphitic carbon nitride derived from inexpensive starting materials (dicyandiamide and CoCl2).
Liberation from platinum. A sight for sore eyes. Liberation from fossil fuels is now more in sight. Most alternative energy sources are best suited for delivering electricity, so with electrolysis, one can get a feedstock for synfuels: hydrogen. One can use it directly, but it is a gas with a *very* low boiling point. But one can combine it with CO2 to make hydrocarbons in the Fischer-Tropsch process. Even short of that, one can store the hydrogen and then recombine it with fuel cells.
It looks like that electrode material will be cheaper than platinum, but I concede some potential problems with it. How durable is it? How long can one use it before it decomposes or otherwise fails?
