Water eletrolysis process is a system that produces hydrogen by electrolyzing water. It’s an eco-friendly technology that may produce hydrogen fuel, a future energy source, without emitting environmental pollutants, but its limitations have been identified as low hydrogen production efficiency and high production costs. Recently, a team of researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) published research that solved each problems directly, attracting attention.
A collaborative research team comprising Professor Jong Kyu Kim, Jaerim Kim, a Ph. D. candidate, Professor Yong-Tae Kim, and Doctor Sang-Mun Jung from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on the POSTECH has succeeded in developing a cost-effective and efficient water electrolysis catalyst that overcomes the restrictions of conventional catalysts through the use of an oblique angle deposition method and nickel (Ni). The research has been recognized for its excellence and published as an inside front cover article within the international journal Advanced Materials.
The water-electrolysis processes employ costly precious metals like platinum as catalysts for hydrogen production, rendering the method excessively costly. Moreover, the usage of conventional thin-film catalysts often ends in inadequate separation of hydrogen bubbles, resulting in blockages within the catalyst’s lively sites or hindering reactant movement, ultimately diminishing process efficiency.
In response to those challenges, the research team opted for oblique angle deposition and nickel. This method involves tilting the substrate during deposition to simply create diverse nanostructures of the fabric, offering a simple and cheap solution. Furthermore, nickel stands out as an abundant non-precious metal catalyst on Earth, demonstrating relatively high efficiency in hydrogen generation.
The team utilized an oblique angle deposition method to synthesize nickel featuring finely crafted, vertically aligned nanorods protrusions. In contrast to standard nanostructures that merely augment the catalyst’s surface area, the researchers engineered highly porous nickel nanorods array, presenting a singular superaerophobic surface properties to unravel the hydrogen adherence issues. Experimental results revealed that hydrogen bubbles generated through the electrolysis process exhibited the accelerated separation of hydrogen bubbles from the superaerophobic surface. The team’s superaerophobic three-dimensional nickel nanorods catalyst, with effective pore channels, demonstrated a remarkable 55-fold improvement in hydrogen production efficiency in comparison with an equivalent amount of nickel in a standard thin film structure.
Professor Jong Kyu Kim and Ph. D. Jaerim Kim, leading the research, explained, “By enhancing the efficiency of the water electrolysis process for green hydrogen production, we’re advancing towards a hydrogen economy and a carbon-neutral society.” They added, “This breakthrough not only advantages water electrolysis but in addition holds promise for various other renewable energy applications where surface reactions play an important role, akin to carbon dioxide reduction and lightweight energy conversion systems.”
This study was sponsored by the Hydrogen Energy Innovation Technology Development Program, the Program for Establishing an International Cooperation Foundation, the Future Innovation Infrastructure Research for Radiology Program, and the Future Material Discovery Program of Korea.
