Summary:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a novel catalytic material that improves the oxygen evolution reaction for clean hydrogen production.
Background:
Hydrogen is a promising green alternative to lessen reliance on non-renewable, polluting fuel sources. Current hydrogen production is mainly carried out via natural gas steam reforming, a process which yields large amounts of CO2 as a byproduct and is unable to produce high-purity hydrogen gas. While purer hydrogen can be produced with renewable energy through proton exchange water membrane electrolysis (PEMWE), the challenging water-splitting reaction is a major bottleneck preventing widespread adoption. This reaction requires a relatively high overpotential, meaning there is a high activation barrier leading to more energy than is thermodynamically required to be used. Catalysts are used to overcome this, but they are traditionally based on expensive, rare metals with poor stability. There is a clear need for a more cost-effective, stable, and energy-efficient catalyst to drive water splitting for green energy production.
Innovation:
Researchers led by Dr. Yu Huang have developed a catalyst based on earth-abundant metals with a low overpotential that is capable of operating under high current densities. The material shows high activity in the oxygen evolution reaction and exceptional stability in acidic electrolyte. The catalyst is easy to synthesize and does not require binders such as Nafion, which may cause undesired consequences such as decreased activity. At a current density of 100 mA/cm2, the catalyst showed an unprecedented overpotential of 395 mV and mass stability of 384 h/mg. This novel catalyst has the potential to greatly improve clean hydrogen production methods beyond the current state-of-the-art.
Potential Applications:
- Water splitting
- Green energy production
- Hydrogen production
- Oxygen production
Advantages:
- Exceptional stability in acidic media
- Non-noble metal-based acidic OER catalyst
- Low overpotential (300-400 mV)
- Mass stability of 384 h/mg
- Minor (98 mV) increase in overpotential after 224 hours
- Simple synthesis and preparation methods
Development-To-Date:
The invention has been fully described and demonstrated.
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2024-114
Lead Inventor:
Yu Huang