Falling Walls Falling Walls Science Summit 2022

Sustainable Production of Fossil Fuel Alternatives: Breaking the Wall of Clean Hydrogen

Sarah Martell

2022 2022 Winner 2022 Winner | Emerging Talents Emerging Talents

According to Sarah Martell, hydrogen is a promising clean fuel source to replace fossil fuels. Although hydrogen fuel is considered clean and sustainable, common production methods are unsustainable and emit CO2. Her solution is to synthesize a material called porous silicon nanoparticles derived from abundant starting materials. By simply adding water to the material, hydrogen can be sustainably produced.

Sarah Martell

Dalhousie University

Sarah Martell is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at Dalhousie University in Canada where she currently researches the synthesis of porous silicon nanoparticles using the magnesiothermic reduction reaction and investigates applications for the synthesized material. She grew up in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and received her Bachelor of Science at Mount Allison University. Along with her research at Dalhousie, Sarah is an active member in various extracurricular groups including the Green Chemistry Initiative and Dalhousie Working Towards Inclusivity in the Chemical Sciences. When she isn’t around campus doing research, she enjoys hiking, camping, rock climbing, playing guitar, and reading.