A team led by Kyriakos Stylianou at Oregon State University's College of Science has developed a new photocatalyst: a material that captures light and uses the absorbed energy to speed up chemical reactions. The photocatalyst generates hydrogen at high speed and efficiency from water using light. The material is called BVR-19 and belongs to the family of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): porous structures of positively charged metal ions surrounded by organic molecules. Results appear in the Journal of the American Chemical Society under the title "Intraligand Charge Transfer in Metal-Organic Frameworks Facilitates Radical Anion-Mediated Hydrogen Evolution," published online on September 14, 2026 and in print on September 23, 2026, according to Hydrogen Fuel News. Stylianou called the results a potential new tool against greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
How the material releases hydrogen
In BVR-19, incoming light temporarily breaks a bond between two sulfur atoms, creating reactive sulfur species that drive hydrogen formation. Stylianou explained that the material uses its sulfur-containing organic building blocks to capture light energy and move electrons to where they are needed for hydrogen production, rather than relying primarily on metal atoms. According to his account, no additional expensive metal catalyst is required, which could simplify future light-driven hydrogen production systems. The material also forms spontaneously in aqueous solution at room temperature, which the university says provides a significant energy advantage in manufacturing.
An earlier investigated material provides comparison figures
Oregon State University had already presented RTTA-1 in a statement from July 25, 2024, a heterostructure of MOF-derived ruthenium oxide and titanium oxide doped with sulfur and nitrogen. Among the tested RTTA variants, RTTA-1 with the lowest ruthenium oxide content achieved the fastest hydrogen production rate and high quantum yield, according to Stylianou. One gram of material produced over 10,700 micromoles of hydrogen within one hour, with 10 of every 100 incident photons contributing to hydrogen production. Stylianou attributed the performance to the interaction of metal oxide properties and surface properties from the MOF, which improve electron transfer. These values refer to RTTA-1, according to Oregon State University.
Production costs: approximately $1.50 versus approximately $5 per kilogram
According to Stylianou, hydrogen production through catalytic water splitting is cleaner than conventional production from natural gas through steam reforming of methane, which creates carbon dioxide. Currently widespread catalytic water-to-hydrogen processes rely on electrocatalysis, in which electric current is passed through the catalyst; according to the university, their sustainability depends on renewable electricity and their competitiveness depends on that electricity being inexpensive. According to Oregon State University, hydrogen from steam methane reforming currently costs approximately $1.50 per kilogram, while green hydrogen costs approximately $5 per kilogram. Hydrogen is used in fuel cells for vehicles, ammonia production, metal refining, and plastic production, among other applications.
Whether industrial scale-up is possible remains open
Whether BVR-19 or materials based on it can reach industrial scale remains open; according to Energies Media, the transition from a promising laboratory result to a cost-competitive process requires years of development work. Stylianou, who directs the Materials Discovery Laboratory (the MaD Lab) at the university, describes the work as a blueprint for better materials that could reduce the costs of green hydrogen. According to the university, the study was supported by the Murdock Charitable Trust, the National Science Foundation, and the OSU College of Science.