Ultrafast photothermal process achieves 3,000°C in 0.02 seconds, boosting hydrogen production efficiency sixfold
The rapid and energy-efficient synthesis of high-performance catalysts is a critical hurdle in advancing clean energy technologies like hydrogen production. Addressing this challenge, a research team at KAIST has now developed a novel platform technology that utilizes a 0.02-second flash of light to generate an ultrahigh temperature of 3,000°C, enabling the highly efficient synthesis of catalysts. This breakthrough process reduces energy consumption by more than a thousandfold compared to conventional methods while increasing hydrogen production efficiency by up to six times, marking a significant step toward the commercialization of clean energy. A joint research team co-led by Professor Il-Doo Kim from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Sung-Yool Choi from the School of Electrical Engineering developed the direct-contact photothermal annealing platform. This technique synthesizes high-performance nanomaterials through brief exposure to intense light, generating a transient temperature of 3,000°C in just 0.02 seconds.
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