A team of researchers from Tohoku University has found a new way to create catalysts that could make hydrogen production more efficient and affordable, generating an environmentally-friendly fuel that could play a crucial role in combating climate change.
In the course of their experiments, the scientists sought ways to improve the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which makes it possible to produce hydrogen without harming the environment. To improve the process, they used a surface reconstruction method to create stable cathodes from inexpensive base metals. They focused on transition metal phosphides, which serve as promising and affordable catalysts, in sharp contrast to the usual practice of using expensive noble metals like platinum during HER.
During one experiment, a modified version of a cobalt phosphide (CoP) catalyst was created with the addition of fluorine. As a result, vacancies (areas with no phosphorus) emerged on the surface of the material. These areas became active centers, helping accelerate the reaction.
The new material showed great efficiency in an acidic environment, maintaining a power of about 76 watts for over 300 hours. The cost of producing hydrogen with this material totaled $2.17 per kilogram, only 17 cents above the target level set by the U.S. Department of Energy for 2026.
While the catalysts have high potential, the study also showed that the behavior of base metals under these conditions is not yet fully understood, and more work needs to be done.
It should be noted that the new catalyst demonstrated great efficiency not only in the lab but also during testing in industrial PEM hydrogen electrolyzers. The next step would be to scale up the hydrogen production process, making the technology more affordable and suitable for wide industrial use.
