Crystal BVR-19 Uses Sunlight to Make Hydrogen From Water

Chemists at Oregon State University developed a family of porous metal-organic framework (MOF) crystals that use light to produce hydrogen from water efficiently. Sulfur-containing organic building blocks, not metal atoms, capture light energy and move electrons; the material forms in water at room temperature without an expensive catalyst.

• The material BVR-19 belongs to the metal-organic framework (MOF) family
• Light temporarily breaks a bond between two sulfur atoms, creating reactive species
• Synthesis occurs in a water-based solution at room temperature
• Green hydrogen costs about $5/kg versus $1.50/kg for methane-derived hydrogen