The development of a real alternative to fossil fuels is perhaps the greatest technological challenge faced by humanity at present. Now, researchers at CRANN, the Nanoscience Institute based at Trinity College Dublin have developed a material which enhances the splitting of water at a very low energy cost using earth abundant raw materials. This new material performs as well as the world’s most effective material for water splitting (which is the scarce and expensive ruthenium oxide) but is much less expensive. This is a significant breakthrough, as it means that an energy efficient production of pure hydrogen is now possible using renewable energy sources which will potentially accelerate adoption of hydrogen as a fuel in energy efficient transportation.

Prof Mike Lyons is Professor and Physical Chemistry of SFI Principal Investigator in the School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is a graduate of University College Cork (1979) where he read Chemistry and Mathematical Physics and obtained his Ph.D degree from the same University in 1983 under the supervision of Prof. Declan Burke in metal oxide electrochemistry. He worked with Prof. John Albery and Prof. Brian Steele at Imperial College London on metal oxide electrocatalysis before being appointed to a lectureship in Physical Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin in 1984. He was elected to Fellowship, Trinity College Dublin, in 1992 on the basis of publication and research. Mike has served both on the University Academic Council and Governing Body (Board) of Trinity College, and has been Director of Undergraduate Teaching & Learning and Head of Physical, Computational and Materials Chemistry within the School of Chemistry.

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