Korean researchers develop platinum-free hydrogen electrolysis solution
In the Netherlands, Offshore Energy reported that a research team led by Hee-Tak Kim of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), in a joint study with Gisu Doo of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), has developed a platinum-free water electrolysis technology.
Water electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity, is recognized as an eco-friendly hydrogen production method. Specifically, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is considered a next-generation hydrogen production technology due to its ability to produce high-purity hydrogen at high pressure. However, it has faced limitations in commercialization due to its reliance on expensive precious metal catalysts and coating materials. In response, Korean researchers have developed an alternative approach aimed at overcoming these technical and economic limitations.
The report noted that Korean researchers focused on the primary reason why iridium oxide (IrOx), a highly active catalyst for water electrolysis electrodes, fails to perform optimally, and found that this is due to inefficient electron transfer. The team reportedly demonstrated that performance can be maximized by controlling the catalyst particle size.
KAIST said that this study revealed that the reason iridium oxide catalysts do not exhibit excellent performance without platinum coating is due to “electron transport resistance” that occurs at the interface between the catalyst, the ion conductor (ionomer), and the titanium (Ti) substrates.
Hee-Tak Kim stated: “This research presents a new interface design strategy that can resolve the interfacial conductivity problem, which was a bottleneck in high-performance water electrolysis technology. By securing high performance even without expensive materials like platinum, it will be a stepping stone closer to realizing a hydrogen economy.”
Category: Research
