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Scientists have devised a cheap and simple method of turning water into rocket fuel.
It uses solar power in a development that could generate a new source of green energy.
The researchers used electricity from solar panels to split water into oxygen and hydrogen _ the constituents of rocket fuel. Scientists believe the technology could solve many of the problems that have hampered the development of solar energy.
With the help of a simple and highly efficient "chemistry set" made from commonly available materials, the scientists have found a way of storing solar energy as a chemical fuel that can power pollution-free electricity generators known as hydrogen fuel cells.
Until now, it has been too costly and difficult to use solar-generated electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, but the new method uses on a catalyst that speeds up the conversion of water into high-energy fuel.
Daniel Nocera of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, said the discovery could remove one of the major obstacles that has prevented solar power from being taken up widely as an alternative to fossil fuels.
"The discovery has enormous implications for the large-scale deployment of solar since it puts us on the doorstep of a cheap and easily manufactured storage mechanism," Dr Nocera said.
Being able to use solar panels to build up a store of chemical energy that is easily transported would revolutionise the way solar energy can be used.
The secret of the breakthrough, published in the journal Science, lies in the type of electrodes used to generate oxygen and hydrogen when they are inserted into water.
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