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Hydrogen is an attractive alternative to address the depletion of fossil fuels. A large-scale exploitation of this form of energy requires, however, to resolve a number of technical problems associated with the production, transport and storage of this gas. Currently, different methods are used for hydrogen production. One method consists of conventional water electrolysis where the H2O molecule is broken down into atoms of oxygen and hydrogen using an electrical current. The electricity itself is generally produced from fossil fuels, hydrogen production has often been much controversy about its environmental impact.

In this context, recent work done in universities "Pennsylvania State University" and "Commonwealth University" could provide a solution for the large amounts of energy involved during the production of this gas. By using aluminum atoms during electrolysis of water, the researchers were able to produce hydrogen for low electrical currents and conditions of room temperature.

The research team, composed of students and researchers of the department of physical chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and Department of Physics at the University of the Commonwealth, has highlighted the role played by catalyzing the specific arrangement group of atoms of aluminum. Indeed, the size and geometry of these groups of atoms could just as important as their electrochemical properties. This discovery, published on 23 January in the journal "Science", allows to drastically reduce production costs while boosting the debate about the involvement of this gas in the future energy mix of the United States.

This work does not solve the problem of storing and transporting hydrogen. Hydrogen is very dense, it requires large volume of storage conditions of temperature and ambient pressure. In addition, a large-scale use of this form of energy will require the construction of infrastructure. However, in order to accurately assess the various energy alternatives available, the National Academies published a series of reports in 2009. These reports are intended to establish an inventory of existing technologies in order to target those to promote through research and development programs.