The present invention relates to the application of high electrical conductivity electrodes in whatever type of the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen to substantially reduce power consumption. The high electrical conductivity electrodes are selected from copper electrodes or graphene electrodes and are coated with a catalyst. Type of electrolysis may be conventional diaphragm or membrane type, diaphragm-less or Unipolar electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen.

The present invention relates to the application of high electrical conductivity electrodes in whatever type of the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen to substantially reduce power consumption. The high electrical conductivity electrodes are selected from copper electrodes or graphene electrodes and are coated with a catalyst. Type of electrolysis may be conventional diaphragm or membrane type, diaphragm-less or Unipolar electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen.

The disclosure provides in its first aspect a catalyst system for gas-phase electrolysis of a reactant gas to form a product in an aqueous medium, the catalyst system comprising a catalytic material; an ion-conducting polymer layer provided on the catalytic material and comprising an ion-conducting polymer that includes hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Said catalyst system is remarkable in that the ion-conducting polymer layer has a thickness of 2 nm to 50 nm measured by transmission-electron microscopy. In its second aspect, the disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a catalyst system for gas-phase electrolysis of reactant gas to produce a product in an aqueous medium preferably according to the first aspect. The use of the catalyst system in accordance with the first aspect in the electrochemical production of at least one multi-carbon compound from a carbon-containing gas or of at least one product from a reactant gas is also disclosed.

The disclosure provides in its first aspect a catalyst system for gas-phase electrolysis of a reactant gas to form a product in an aqueous medium, the catalyst system comprising a catalytic material; an ion-conducting polymer layer provided on the catalytic material and comprising an ion-conducting polymer that includes hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Said catalyst system is remarkable in that the ion-conducting polymer layer has a thickness of 2 nm to 50 nm measured by transmission-electron microscopy. In its second aspect, the disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a catalyst system for gas-phase electrolysis of reactant gas to produce a product in an aqueous medium preferably according to the first aspect. The use of the catalyst system in accordance with the first aspect in the electrochemical production of at least one multi-carbon compound from a carbon-containing gas or of at least one product from a reactant gas is also disclosed.

The invention provides a method of reducing dinitrogen to produce at least one haloamine compound, the method comprising: contacting a cathode comprising a dinitrogen-activating electrocatalytic composition with an electrolyte; providing dinitrogen, a reducible source of halogen and a source of hydrogen for reaction at the cathode; and applying a potential at the cathode sufficient to reduce the dinitrogen on the dinitrogen-activating electrocatalytic composition in the presence of the reducible source of halogen and the source of hydrogen, thereby producing at least one haloamine compound.

The invention provides a method of reducing dinitrogen to produce at least one haloamine compound, the method comprising: contacting a cathode comprising a dinitrogen-activating electrocatalytic composition with an electrolyte; providing dinitrogen, a reducible source of halogen and a source of hydrogen for reaction at the cathode; and applying a potential at the cathode sufficient to reduce the dinitrogen on the dinitrogen-activating electrocatalytic composition in the presence of the reducible source of halogen and the source of hydrogen, thereby producing at least one haloamine compound.

A device for performing electrolysis of water is disclosed. The device comprising: a semiconductor structure comprising a surface and an electron guiding layer below said surface, the electron guiding layer of the semiconductor structure being configured to guide electron movement in a plane parallel to the surface, the electron guiding layer of the semiconductor structure comprising an InGaN quantum well or a heterojunction, the heterojunction being a junction between AlN material and GaN material or between AlGaN material and GaN material; at least one metal cathode arranged on the surface of the semiconductor structure; and at least one photoanode arranged on the surface of the semiconductor structure, wherein the at least one photoanode comprises a plurality of quantum dots of In.sub.xGa.sub.(1−x)N material, wherein 0.4≤x≤1. A system comprising such device is also disclosed.

An apparatus for storing hydrogen as protons and electrons separately. The apparatus includes a DC power supply; a hydrogen electrolysis unit including a hydrogen tank adapted to contain hydrogen under pressure and in contact with one or more catalyst electrodes contained in the tank, the one or more catalyst electrodes in electrical connection with the DC power supply; and an electron storage unit for storing electrons, the electron storage unit in electrical connection with the DC power supply and separated from the hydrogen electrolysis unit. In a proton generation mode, the DC power supply is configured to operate the one or more catalyst electrodes in anode mode to catalyze oxidation of hydrogen in the hydrogen tank to form and store protons on or near the one or more electrodes and store generated electrons in the electron storage unit.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a catalyst for an electrochemical cell, wherein: a graphited porous carbon material is treated with an oxygen-containing plasma or an aqueous medium containing an oxidising agent, at least one noble metal compound is deposited on the treated carbon material, the impregnated carbon material is brought into contact with a reducing agent such that the noble metal compound is reduced to a metallic noble metal.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a catalyst for an electrochemical cell, wherein: a graphited porous carbon material is treated with an oxygen-containing plasma or an aqueous medium containing an oxidising agent, at least one noble metal compound is deposited on the treated carbon material, the impregnated carbon material is brought into contact with a reducing agent such that the noble metal compound is reduced to a metallic noble metal.