Infrared light could create hydrogen from water

Infrared light could help split water into hydrogen and oxygen, despite the fact that infrared photons have less energy than is needed to drive the reaction. That is the claim of physicists in China, who have calculated that the reaction could proceed with the help of a bilayer catalyst that has a strong internal electric dipole. While making this catalyst in the lab would be very difficult, the researchers are now trying to come up with a more practical alternative. If they are successful, such catalysts would allow a far larger proportion of the solar spectrum to be used to generate hydrogen – perhaps making it a commercially viable source of hydrogen fuel.