Scientists have developed a new material that could help make clean hydrogen production more efficient and affordable.
The breakthrough involves a crystal-like catalyst that’s both highly durable and designed to use a rare metal, iridium, more effectively than ever before.
Hydrogen is considered a clean fuel of the future, especially when it’s produced by splitting water in a process called electrolysis.
But one of the biggest problems with this process is the cost.
Electrolyzers, the machines that do this, need iridium—a metal that works very well for part of the reaction called the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) but is also extremely rare and expensive.
That’s why scientists are searching for ways to use less of it without losing performance.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society introduces a clever solution. Researchers created a material made of cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) with a sponge-like structure full of tiny pores.
Into this material, they placed iridium atoms one by one, rather than in clusters, which are less efficient.
This “mesoporous” structure allows the material to hold a relatively high amount of iridium (13.8% by weight) while keeping it evenly spread out. This helps the cobalt and iridium atoms work together to improve the reaction.
Computer simulations showed that under real working conditions, the surface of the cobalt oxide usually becomes inactive. But when iridium atoms are added in just the right way, they re-activate the surface and make it more durable at the same time.
The result is a catalyst that loses far less iridium and cobalt during use—just a quarter and a fifth, respectively, compared to traditional versions. Even better, the material stayed stable for over 100 hours of operation, all while requiring only a small amount of energy to keep the reaction going.
Professor Hao Li, who led the research, says that the special structure of the material is the key. It creates enough space to place individual iridium atoms and keeps them stable throughout the reaction.
The team used both lab experiments and computer models to understand how the material works. They also shared their data through the Digital Catalysis Platform, an open-access tool to help researchers around the world design better catalysts.
Next, the team hopes to improve the design further and explore how to produce the material on a larger scale for real-world use.
