In Japan, Renewable Energy Magazine reported that researchers from Japan’s Chiba University have found that modifying platinum cathodes with naturally occurring purine bases can boost the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, the key step where water is split into hydrogen, by up to four times.
The report noted that this approach can significantly reduce platinum requirements, bringing affordable, large-scale hydrogen production closer to reality.
The work led by Syunnosuke Tanaka and Professor Masashi Nakamura from the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, Japan, could pave the way for more practical and affordable water electrolysis systems.
“Platinum has limited resources, which is an issue for the widespread use of water electrolysis and fuel cell catalysts” said Professor Nakamura. “The significant reduction of platinum loading in electrochemical devices will be an important step toward the practical application of catalysts for water electrolysis.”
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