Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
Published on: October 5, 2019
Hydrogen-producing Photocatalyst at Sunscreen for Athletes in Preventing and Healing Muscle-nerve-skin Injuries
Pathik Sahoo1,2
1Functional Chromophore Group, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, 305-0044, Ibaraki, Japan.
Abstract:
Physical injuries in sports are unavoidable, but they can be mitigated and even treated by using molecular hydrogen, which can be administered via a specially formulated sunscreen. The photocatalysts are a special class of semiconductors that can absorb a specific spectrum of light to promote its electron from the valance band (VB) to the conduction band (CB). This creates positively charged holes at VB and negatively charged electrons at CB in generating photochemical reaction centres. Once a photocatalyst that absorbs a harmful UV band from sunlight and can split water is doped inside a hydrogel will produce hydrogen in the presence of sunlight. If we employ such photocatalyst-doped hydrogel over naked skin, the hydrogel will act as a continuous source of water, which will absorb water from sweet, store it inside the hydrogel matrix and deliver it to the photocatalyst for splitting it further into the hydrogen. As a result, such photocatalyst-doped hydrogel can be used as a sunscreen to protect against sunlight and can use that spectrum of light for producing hydrogen from sweat continuously. Hydrogen can be absorbed through the skin and diffused in the body to heal wound-prone or injured muscles, and nerves. Because hydrogen may travel throughout the body, the catalyst-doped hydrogel can be used as a topical gel to treat various ailments such as muscle-nerve skin injuries, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and others. Besides common people, even athletes can use it as sunscreen during sports, which is not feasible for other hydrogen administrating systems.
More Related Videos
10:05Stimulation of Stem Cell Niches and Tissue Regeneration in Mouse Skin by Switchable Protoporphyrin IX-Dependent Photogeneration of Reactive Oxygen Species In Situ
Published on: May 8, 2020
11:38Experimental Methods for Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production in Microgravity Environment
Published on: December 3, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin...
Muscle Recovery and Fatigue
Pigmentation
Melanin occurs in two primary forms: eumelanin that provides black and brown pigment and pheomelanin that provides red color. Dark-skinned individuals produce more melanin than those with pale...
Energy Transfer in Chemical Reactions
Channel Rhodopsins
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...