Sydney, Nov 29 (IANS): Australian researchers have reported the use of a new ultra-thin catalyst to split water into its two components, oxygen and hydrogen, to be converted and used as fuel, a report said on Tuesday.

The researchers at the Griffith University used the sheet-like, highly efficient catalysts that has long-term stability and help spur the process to create economically viable clean fuel.

The latest research was published in the Nature Energy journal, Xinhua news reported.

Just as sunlight generates electricity, the water-splitting process could do the same via the generation of clean chemical fuel such as hydrogen, a report quoted Professor Huijin Zhao, the director of Griffith's Centre.

Hydrogen would be a promising clean fuel over petrol in the foreseeable future, Zhao said.

"Scientifically it's already demonstrated, it's already working but to do this in a way that's economically viable, there's still a bit of work to do and we need government policy, general public support," he said.

"You also need those big companies to realise they should not dig up out of the ground anymore," he said.

"It's not just a simple technology issue."