A team led by Prof. Yin Huajie from the Hefei Institute of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a solar-powered system that produces green hydrogen directly from atmospheric moisture without relying on external water or energy sources.

The results are published in Advanced Materials.

Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) technology is one of the primary routes for producing green hydrogen, drawing significant attention due to its high efficiency and high-purity hydrogen output. However, the PEMWE process heavily relies on high-purity water as the reaction raw material, limiting its application in water-scarce regions. Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), as an emerging approach to obtaining pure water, holds promise as a viable solution to the water shortage issue in the production of green hydrogen.

In this study, the researchers developed a self-sustaining system that couples photothermal atmospheric water harvesting with proton exchange membrane electrolysis.

The system uses hierarchically porous carbon as an adsorbent to capture moisture from the air, which is evaporated by solar heat and fed into a custom-built electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The porous material is fabricated through template synthesis and calcination, followed by surface oxidation to improve water affinity.

It demonstrates remarkable performance. Even under low humidity conditions (as low as 20%), it maintains stable water collection and evaporation performance. Under 40% humidity, the system reached a hydrogen production rate of nearly 300 mL per hour with excellent cycle stability and long-term reliability.

Field tests further confirmed that it can continuously produce green hydrogen using only solar energy, with zero carbon emissions and no external energy input.

This work provides a new pathway for sustainable hydrogen production in water-scarce regions, according to the team.

Provided by
Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Other Good MagSafe Accessories

The accessories below aren’t as great as the top picks in this guide, but they’re still good options if you’re looking for more MagSafe gadgets.

Belkin iPhone Mount With MagSafe for $30: Using Apple’s Continuity Camera feature, you can wirelessly use your iPhone as a webcam for a MacBook. It supports various video calling apps too, from FaceTime to Zoom. This circular silicone puck magnetically sticks to the back of your iPhone and can be used as a phone grip or kickstand, but you need to keep your screen close to a 90-degree angle, or else the weight of the iPhone will drag the screen back or forward. There’s also a mount for external displays, in case you want one for your home desk setup.

STM Goods MagPod Smarter Phone Stand for $31: I’ve been carrying this mini tripod from STM Goods all over my apartment. When I’m not using it to see notifications at a glance at my desk, I’ll place it on my kitchen counter to stream TV shows while cooking dinner, on my coffee table to FaceTime with friends while on the couch, or on the bathroom sink to listen to podcasts while doing my makeup. I’ve also used it to shoot video. It has a magnetic disc with a socket that moves around smoothly, allowing you to position it at multiple angles. The retractable legs are sturdy too, even while tapping through notifications or typing out texts. They fold in neatly into a compact size, making it easy to travel with.

Casetify Wireless Car Charger for $70: I’ve been using this for over a year. It’s easy to install, has MagSafe support (with a USB-C cable) and an adjustable ball joint for various viewing angles, and it’s Qi 2-certified with a 15-watt rate. It’s a bit more affordable than Belkin’s and comes in several fun patterns. (I have the Penguin design, and it’s tough not to smile while looking at it.)

iOttie Velox Pro Magnetic Wireless Cooling Charger for $80: This iOttie option has a suction cup (if your vents are awkward, or you just prefer a dash or windshield mount) that has strong magnets to keep it in place. The telescopic arm also has a ball joint to give you a wide range of movement to find the ideal position. The 7.5-watt charging rate is disappointing, but the USB-C charging cable is removable, so you can detach and stow it when your iPhone is charged. The built-in fan also helps to keep the temperature down when the sun is out.

MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1) for $60: This little orb has three AC outlets, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports on the back, and over on the front is a Qi2 wireless charging pad that can recharge your phone. It’s great for workstations where you need to plug in a lot of gadgets. Each of the USB-A ports dishes out 12 watts, and the USB-C ports can output 67 watts, though this lowers if other ports or the pad are in use.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

A MagSafe SSD Enclosure for $60: If you have an iPhone Pro Max and you want to tinker with Apple’s more advanced video recording formats (ProRes 4K at 60 frames per second or higher), well, you’ll run into one big problem immediately: You can’t natively record without an external storage device. You’ll need a solid-state drive plugged into your iPhone, and it will record your video directly to the external storage. But a dangling SSD doesn’t sound very safe, right? They don’t transfer power or data via MagSafe but merely attach to the back as a convenient way to store the SSD while recording.

Casely Grippy for $25: When Octobuddy (the original suction phone mount) started to get popular, I really wanted one. But since it uses adhesive to attach to your phone, the thought of all the dust and germs the suction cups would collect kept me from trying it. This one from Casely is one of the few that has MagSafe support. It works well, for the most part. I’ve stuck it on kitchen cabinets, mirrors, the refrigerator—basically whatever surface is around. But when sticking it on said surface, I recommend applying extra pressure to make sure the suction cups are really stuck on there. Otherwise, it’ll slide off, and your phone will go with it.

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Hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting banking customers could be unknowingly slapped with a fraud marker without even knowing about it.

Financial crime expert Jeremy Asher reveals in his new comprehensive book about the devastating toll that ordinary and, crucially, innocent, people can suffer when wrongly labeled as being linked with fraud.

With university students returning to campuses this week, Asher warns that they are particularly vulnerable to fraud due to financial inexperience.

The rampant growth in fraud-related crime means that two in five criminal offenses are fraud-related, costing the UK economy billions each year.

In response, a public-private defense system has been developed, but a vital part of it involves issuing so-called fraud markers onto individuals and their accounts where a potentially fraudulent transaction or application has been made.

But ordinary banking customers risk being incorrectly labeled with fraud markers, and often only find out when problems with their accounts emerge or requests for loans or credit fail.

This punishment can occur even if a third-party makes an error on an individual’s behalf, or even if a criminal sets up a fake business using someone else’s real identity.

What’s more, trying to get fraud markers removed can push people to the brink, with some even considering ending their own lives.

Huge problem

Around 2 million fraud markers were in effect in 2022 via Cifas, the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System, one of the main systems through which fraud markers are delivered.

In-depth research by Asher reveals that in 2022 Cifas itself upheld nearly 17% of the 868 requests to remove its markers, which he believes could mean several hundred thousand markers have been “incorrectly loaded and are unfair.”

The impact on individuals can be significant, with Asher stating that many of his clients seldom discuss the issue publicly even if they have successfully had fraud markers removed.

That’s because of the social stigma they fear due to being the subject of a fraud marker.

Several case studies in Asher’s book bring to life the stress and hardship caused when fraud markers are incorrectly loaded against people.

Issues range from difficulties securing finance through to a heart-wrenching example of a female victim of domestic abuse, whose repeated efforts to prove her innocence continually fell on deaf ears.

“Her mental health declined and following a desperate call from her in which I was left in no doubt that she was about to attempt suicide I called the police who thankfully went to her immediate assistance,” Asher says.

“She did not have the stomach to take her appeal further.”

Easy come, difficult go

A significant issue with fraud markers is how easily they can be applied but how difficult, or sometimes even impossible, they are to have removed.

Asher states that many of the cases he takes on for people wrongly given fraud markers “would not have come to my attention had a criminal standard of proof been applied and thorough investigations taken place.”

He criticizes the move to lower the standard of proof that organizations need to jump, likening it to reducing it to a civil level even though the victim is essentially being accused of a criminal offense.

“[Fraud markers] are akin to the type of fixed penalty notices that are imposed in the criminal justice system, such as by the police in relation to minor motoring offenses,” Asher said.

“However, there are important distinctions, not least that fraud markers are issued without notice, they are secretive, and there is no right to judicial oversight at the time a marker is loaded.”

Asher notes that while a speeding driver can challenge the evidence, accept the proposed penalty, seek an alternative penalty (like a speed awareness course) or ask a court to decide their guilt, the recipient of a fraud marker is offered no such routes.

“The punishment aspect of fraud markers is through the subject being barred from obtaining mainstream credit and banking facilities or by having to pay a premium should they be lucky enough to find an organization willing to accept the higher risk posed,” Asher added.

Post Office parallels

Trying to appeal a fraud marker is ‘anything but straightforward,” according to Asher, who notes the injustices against ‘genuinely innocent’ people is likely to be wider than that caused by the Post Office Horizon scandal.

In an echo of the Post Office saga, organizations that load fraud markers are essentially the notional judge, jury and executioner.

“The concept of fair banking is more concerned with ensuring that the products and services offered by financial organizations are fair,” Asher states.

“As demonstrated, fraud markers are loaded and policed by private organizations, with some organizations paying little regard to common notions of justice and fairness.

“Their decisions can be unfair, cruel even. I am concerned at the level of injustice I see every day.”

The book contains information about how the various databases operate, and explains how and why they were developed to help combat the rise of fraud and money laundering in the UK.