Oregon State researchers built a crystal that produces hydrogen from water using only sunlight. No platinum. No iridium. No expensive metal catalyst. The material, BVR-19, a metal-organic framework, absorbs light through its sulfur bonds. When light hits it, a bond breaks. That energy drives the reaction that splits water. It also forms spontaneously in a water-based solution at room temperature. Most hydrogen production today relies on fossil fuels or rare metals. This opens a route to solar hydrogen that doesn't depend on either. Oregon State University. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Oct 10 2026.