Reviewed by Lexie CornerMar 24 2025
A world workforce of researchers from Seoul Nationwide College, the Korea Institute of Science and Expertise (KIST), and Kookmin College has developed a complicated electrochemical catalyst that would considerably contribute to sustainable hydrogen manufacturing.
The research, revealed in Power & Environmental Science, was led by Professor Jin Younger Kim from the Division of Supplies Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Chan Woo Lee from Kookmin College and Dr. Sung Jong Yoo from KIST.
The newly developed catalyst, primarily based on a ruthenium (Ru) nanocluster with a core-shell construction, provides excessive efficiency and stability whereas utilizing minimal quantities of valuable metals. It demonstrated wonderful effectivity when examined with large-scale water electrolysis gear, suggesting its potential for business functions.
Hydrogen, as a clear power supply with no carbon dioxide emissions when burned, is seen as a promising different to fossil fuels. Water electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen utilizing electrical energy, is likely one of the only strategies for producing hydrogen. Among the many varied electrolysis applied sciences, Anion Change Membrane Water Electrolysis (AEMWE) has emerged as a next-generation resolution as a result of its capacity to supply high-purity hydrogen. Nonetheless, AEMWE requires catalysts that mix excessive effectivity with long-term stability for commercialization.
At the moment, platinum (Pt) is probably the most broadly used catalyst for hydrogen manufacturing, however it’s expensive and susceptible to degradation. Whereas non-precious metallic substitutes have been explored, these supplies usually have low stability and effectivity.
To beat these challenges, the analysis workforce developed a core-shell nanocluster catalyst utilizing ruthenium (Ru), which is greater than twice as inexpensive as platinum. By lowering the catalyst dimension to lower than 2 nm and utilizing solely one-third of the valuable metallic usually required for platinum-based electrodes, the workforce achieved a major enchancment in efficiency. The brand new catalyst outperformed platinum catalysts by an element of 4.4 when it comes to hydrogen evolution response effectivity, setting a brand new benchmark for hydrogen manufacturing.
The catalyst’s distinctive stability, even at excessive present densities, is ensured by its distinctive foam electrode construction, which optimizes the availability of response supplies. In industrial-scale AEMWE testing, the brand new catalyst used considerably much less energy than business platinum catalysts, indicating its potential to advance next-generation water electrolysis expertise.
The event course of concerned a number of key improvements. The researchers first utilized hydrogen peroxide to a titanium foam substrate to create a skinny layer of titanium oxide. Doping with molybdenum (Mo) adopted, and the substrate was then coated with ruthenium oxide nanoparticles, which had been solely 1-2 nm in dimension. A core-shell construction was shaped via exact low-temperature thermal therapy, and the fabric’s properties had been additional enhanced by an electrochemical discount course of throughout the hydrogen evolution response.
Wanting forward, the core-shell nanocluster catalyst is predicted to cut back the quantity of valuable metallic required for hydrogen manufacturing whereas enhancing effectivity, which may decrease manufacturing prices. Attributable to its excessive efficiency and cost-effectiveness, this catalyst is a powerful candidate to be used in hydrogen gas cells for vehicles, hydrogen energy vegetation, and different industrial functions.
Along with its sensible functions, this discovery represents a technological breakthrough that would speed up the transition from fossil fuel-based power techniques to hydrogen-powered economies.
The core-shell catalyst, regardless of being smaller than 2 nm, demonstrates exceptional efficiency and stability. This breakthrough will contribute considerably to the event of nano core-shell system fabrication expertise and hydrogen manufacturing, bringing us nearer to a carbon-neutral future.
Jin Younger Kim, Professor, Division of Supplies Science and Engineering, Seoul Nationwide College
The research’s first writer, Dr. Hyun Woo Lim, is a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Kim’s lab at Seoul Nationwide College. He was chosen for the federal government’s Sejong Fellowship Program. His present focus is on advancing and commercializing core-shell catalyst expertise.
Journal Reference:
Lim, H. W., et al. (2025) A ruthenium-titania core-shell nanocluster catalyst for environment friendly and sturdy alkaline hydrogen evolution. Power & Environmental Science. doi.org/10.1039/d4ee04867a.
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