Scientists may have found a more affordable way to produce clean hydrogen—an energy source that could one day power cars, factories, and even entire cities without releasing greenhouse gases.
A team led by SUNY Polytechnic Institute Associate Professor Dr. Iulian Gherasoiu has tested a new, low-cost catalyst material that could help make hydrogen production cheaper and more reliable.
Hydrogen can be made by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using a device called an electrolyzer.
This process is clean, but the machines often use precious metals like platinum, which are very expensive.
They can also wear down over time, which makes hydrogen production costly.
The new study, published in Electrochimica Acta and titled “Quantification of hydrogen and transition metals in ionomer-free MoNi4-MoO2 cathode catalyst layer for AEM electrolyzer,” explores a different option.
Instead of relying on precious metals, the team created a catalyst using nickel and molybdenum—two materials that are far more affordable and easier to obtain.
These materials form a special compound called MoNi₄-MoO₂, which the researchers used as the working surface inside an electrolyzer.
The research was done in collaboration with experts from the University at Albany, including Drs. Yamini Kumaran, Daniele Cherniak, Kyoung-Yeol Kim, and Haralabos Efstathiadis. Together, they set out to understand not just how well the new material performs, but also how it changes as the electrolyzer runs.
To do this, they used advanced imaging and chemical analysis tools that allowed them to observe the catalyst in great detail. This helped them see how the material behaves during hydrogen production and what happens at the microscopic level as it ages.
Their tests showed that the nickel–molybdenum catalyst works well in the electrolyzer and could help reduce the overall cost of making hydrogen. This is encouraging news for industries and governments looking to expand clean-energy technology in the coming years. However, the researchers also discovered that the material slowly changes on its surface during use. These changes don’t make the catalyst fail immediately, but they do affect how long it can last inside the machine.
Understanding this aging process is important. If scientists can identify exactly how and why the surface changes, they can design better, longer-lasting versions of the material. The team’s method for closely tracking these changes offers a powerful new way to study and improve electrolyzer materials in the future.
Overall, this research provides valuable insight into how low-cost catalyst materials behave in real-world conditions.
With further development, these findings could help make clean hydrogen energy more affordable and widely available—bringing us one step closer to a greener energy future.
