Researchers at the Slovak Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Materials Research in Košice have developed carbon nanofibres containing iron, nickel and molybdenum phosphide nanoparticles that achieve a catalytic effect similar to platinum in hydrogen production. The team includes Erika Múdra, Magdaléna Strečková and Iván Shepa.
The fibres, far thinner than a human hair, are made by electrospinning: an electric field draws threads from a droplet of polymer solution, forming a web that heat treatment then turns into carbon or ceramic fibres. Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water with electricity, and cheaper electrodes help make it competitive.
The same laboratory is working on nanofibres that clean wastewater using light and, in the new TOXISENS project, on more sensitive sensors for toxic gases. Next steps include materials for medicine and energy storage and using waste as a raw material, together with the Technical University of Košice.
