E-TAC water splitting

Winner: 2022 Materials Chemistry Division Horizon Prize: Stephanie L Kwolek Award

For the development of an innovative membraneless water splitting technology for low-cost production of green hydrogen at scale.

Celebrate E-TAC water splitting

#RSCPrizes

Download celebratory graphic →

A team of scientists based at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology have developed ‘membraneless’ water splitting technology for the low-cost production of green hydrogen at scale, which could drastically help the ambition of a zero-emission economy.

Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. 

Traditionally when carrying out electrolysis, hydrogen and oxygen are evolved simulataneously. For safety, you need to separate the hydrogen and oxygen gas and prevent them from mixing. This requires good sealing and an expensive membrane to keep the gases apart.

The Electrochemical–Thermally Activated Cycle (E-TAC) Water Splitting team developed a highly efficient, membrane-free process to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in two distinct stages.

In the first stage, hydrogen is generated on the cathode electrochemically, while the anode is charged. In the second stage, oxygen forms on the anode as it discharges chemically at elevated temperature. The team have called this development E-TAC, signifying the electrochemical, thermally activated chemical nature of this unique process.

This process is developed to a new technology for green hydrogen production at scale by the Israeli company H2Pro.

When we heard about receiving the Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize we first had a feeling of disbelief, and then great joy of this achievement. However, at the same time we had a sense of humbleness, knowing that the road to turn our idea into a scaled-up industrial process is going to be long and challenging. So, while we are so happy to have won this prize, we feel the weight of responsibility to support and carry this development to the finish line.

The team

See full team

Ziv Arzi, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Coral Cohen, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Elena S. Davydova, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Hen Dotan, Senior Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Netta Gal, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Gideon Grader, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Daniel Grave, Senior Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Noam Hadari, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Manar Halabi, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Yossi Halpern, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Noya Hayek Hertz, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Avigail Landman, Researcher/PhD student, Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Kirtiman Deo Malviya, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Avner Rothschild, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Stafford Sheehan, Visiting Scientist, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Gennady E. Shter, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Ilya Slobodkin, Researcher/MSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Nachshon Yehudai, Research Assistant/BSc student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Q+A

What were the biggest challenges in this project?

Ziv Arzi: Our system is a hybrid, unique system, therefore we needed a way of defining and measuring the performance of the system and its components.

Coral Cohen: For me, the biggest challenges were to find the best method for electrode fabrication and then, scaling up the electrodes. At first we were working on small electrodes for the proof of concept, and when I joined the group, I was in parallel working on creating an ideal spatial structure for electrodes of varying sizes and with different porosity.

Why is this work so important and exciting?

Ziv Arzi: This novel process has the potential to scale up from a lab experiment to a game-changing technology, allowing us to take a leap towards zero-emission economy.

Coral Cohen: This innovative E-TAC water splitting cyclic process is energy efficient and significantly reduces the emission of greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into the air during the decomposition of water, relative to the electrolysis that occurs simultaneously. The world is facing an energy crisis and for that reason, this type of technology is an important and exciting one.

What strengths did different people bring to the team?

Coral Cohen: The group was very diverse in terms of the level of knowledge and technical experience. Each team member contributed from their point of view for improving and streamlining all processes. There were Doctoral students, Masters students and undergrad students from various fields of knowledge – some materials science, physicists, and chemical engineers. Each group member came up with different insights on the characterization of the electrodes and know how to work with different microscopes and other devices. As an undergraduate student at the time, I was glad to be able to consult with such a diverse team and get different and helpful perspectives on every process I was involved with.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

Ziv Arzi: A good research culture is an environment that allows each member of the team, no matter of position or rank, to suggest new ideas, even unorthodox ones, and be treated with respect and consideration.

Coral Cohen: Efficient teamwork, approachable professors and colleagues, a supportive environment for proposing new ideas, even among young and less experienced researchers. Each one of us felt important in the success of the technology and therefore a sense of belonging and commitment is great. An environment that supports head augmentation and enables multidisciplinary practice that encourages research and critical thinking.