RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan has made a significant breakthrough in the extraction of hydrogen from water, a crucial step towards achieving a sustainable hydrogen-based energy economy. Led by researcher Ryuhei Nakamura, the team has developed a custom-made catalyst for water electrolysis, which has improved stability and increased the catalyst’s lifetime by almost 4,000%.
The traditional method of water electrolysis using proton exchange membranes (PEM) relies on rare earth metals like iridium, making it unsustainable for large-scale industrial use. Nakamura’s team previously developed a process using common and sustainable earth metals like manganese to achieve the same results without relying on rare metals. Now, they have further improved the process by altering the catalyst’s lattice structure, specifically increasing the amount of planar oxygen in the manganese oxide lattice.
The new catalyst demonstrated remarkable stability and efficiency, maintaining the critical oxygen evolution reaction in acid for a month at 1000 mA/cm2. In a PEM electrolyzer, water electrolysis could be sustained for about 6 weeks at 200 mA/cm2, producing ten times more hydrogen than previous non-rare metal catalysts. The team aims to further enhance the catalyst’s structure to achieve a stable current density of 1000 mA/cm2 for several years, ultimately eliminating the need for rare earth metals like iridium.
The researchers believe that their findings have the potential to revolutionize hydrogen production and contribute to carbon neutrality. By generating public interest in sustainable hydrogen production, they hope to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuel dependency and towards a cleaner, greener future.
