Hydrogen from the Air: Direct Humidity Electrolyzer
About
Current hydrogen production from humid air is limited by low proton conductivity and costly platinum-group catalysts. Our innovation is the first working direct humid air electrolyzer, using a novel graphdiyne oxide (GDYO) membrane with high proton conductivity. This design boosts hydrogen output from water vapor while reducing reliance on expensive materials.
Team
Dr. Vladimir Samuilov (PI)
Dr. T. Venkatesh,
Dr. Dimitris Assanis
Dr. Thomas I. Valdez
Why It Matters
- Eliminates liquid-water handling for remote/off-grid telecom and microgrids
- Cuts OPEX/CAPEX where purification/cooling add cost to classic electrolysis
- Near-term SAM: telecom backup + off-grid microgrids; long-run TAM: water-constrained electrolyzer deployments
How Might We
How might we produce low-cost green hydrogen directly from ambient humidity, without liquid water or precious-metal catalysts?
Elevator Pitch
A world-first direct-air electrolyzer that boosts proton conductivity through advanced 2D carbon membranes (GO → graphdiyne oxide) to generate hydrogen from water vapor—enabling clean H2 where water logistics make electrolysis impractical.
Stage: Build
Prototype & Pilot Working - proof-of-concept; GDYO membrane development underway
Industrial collaboration with Plug Power
(CTO office)
Stony Brook IP portfolio (catalyst-free hygro-electrolysis; renewable electrolyzer)
How B&B Can Help
Beyond funding, we seek:
● Industrial mentorship & scale-up partners (membrane manufacturing, stack design)
● Pilot use cases (telecom/microgrid sites) and tech validation support
● Materials & process engineering guidance for GDYO membrane production