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Tuesday, 20th October 2009 (485 views)

A scientist has won a top nanotechnology award for research that could lead to gold atoms being used in more effective catalysts for the production of hydrogen fuel.

Dr Oscar Custance of the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has claimed the 2009 Feynman Prize for Experimental Work in Nanotechnology for work involving the development of catalysts that use an atomic-scale precision technique to place active gold atoms at an exact location on or near the surface of a model system.

Dr Custance's research is backed by the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD), an international detachment of the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research based in Arlington, Virginia.

AOARD programme manager Thomas Erstfeld said: "Gold has become an exciting element to study for its catalytic properties.

"It was once thought of as relatively inert but in the past couple of years, it has been discovered that nano-sized gold particles are excellent catalysts."

Dr Custance will officially receive his prize for experimental work in January 2010 at a ceremony to be held in Palo Alto, California.

 

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