![striking gold with molecular mystery solution for potential clean energy striking gold with molecular mystery solution for potential clean energy](https://utterbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/striking-gold-with-molecular-mystery-solution-for-potential-clean-energy-640x360.jpg)
Hydrogen spillover is exactly what it sounds like. Small metal nanoparticles anchored on a thermally stable oxide, like silica, comprise a major class of catalysts, which are substances used to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed themselves. The catalytic reaction usually occurs on the reactive — and expensive — metal, but on some catalysts, hydrogen atom-like equivalents literally spill from the metal to the oxide. These hydrogen-on-oxide species are called ‘hydrogen spillover.’