They dissolved cobalt and phosphate in water and then zapped it with electricity through an electrode.
他们把钴和磷酸盐溶解到水溶液中，然后，通过电极对它们进行电解。
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The key component in the process is a catalyst -- cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water -- that produces oxygen gas from water, while another catalyst produces hydrogen gas.
When electricity, whether from photovoltaic cell, wind turbine or other sources, runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode and oxygen gas is produced.