A chemist from the Indiana University Bloomington has been awarded funding to look into the potential of using ruthenium and water as a source of renewable power.

Mu-Hyun Baik has been awarded a special grant by the National Science Foundation for him to continue his work looking into the potential of using ruthenium to help create a green power source from water.

The $555,000 Faculty Early Career Program award will go towards Professor Baik's efforts studying the catalytic properties of two rare metal ruthenium atoms at the centre of a large compound.

This ruthenium complex is capable of converting water to oxygen and hydrogen under relatively normal conditions, meaning that the experiments could have uses in the development of green power sources such as fuel cells.

"Currently, only very few catalysts are known that are capable of promoting this demanding reaction under mild conditions," Professor Baik explained.

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