Indian Institute of Technology Bombay researchers have engineered a groundbreaking, low-cost catalyst from earth-abundant materials, poised to revolutionise green hydrogen production by making it significantly more affordable and accessible for a sustainable energy future.
Key Points
- IIT Bombay researchers developed a low-cost, durable catalyst for green hydrogen production.
- The catalyst uses earth-abundant materials like cobalt, nickel, phosphate, and graphite, avoiding expensive noble metals.
- It accelerates both hydrogen and oxygen generation from water through electrolysis, reducing energy barriers.
- The molecular precursor engineering technique allows precise control over material composition and homogeneity.
- This innovation brings closer the goal of producing cheap, zero-emission hydrogen fuel for various applications.
In a boost to clean energy technology, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) have developed a low-cost, highly durable catalyst that could reduce the production cost of green hydrogen. A team of researchers created a novel material that combines cobalt, nickel, phosphate, and graphite to accelerate both hydrogen and oxygen generation from water without relying on expensive noble metals such as platinum or iridium.
One of the simplest ways to split a water molecule is by electrolysis, in which an electrical current is passed through water to separate it into hydrogen and oxygen. This process, however, faces significant kinetic barriers, requiring substantial energy to get started. The energy barrier can be reduced using catalysts that accelerate the reactions without being consumed.
Overcoming Cost Barriers In Hydrogen Production
Currently, these reactions rely on precious metals like platinum, ruthenium, and iridium. While highly effective, these noble metals are scarce, expensive, and prone to degradation over time under harsh operating conditions. “The primary motivation was to develop an efficient and durable earth-abundant catalyst for overall water splitting,” said Dr Savi Chaudhary, an IIT Bombay researcher and the first author of the study.
Innovative Molecular Engineering Approach
To fabricate the new catalyst, the researchers turned to molecular precursor engineering, a technique that involves designing highly specific molecules and metallic compounds that serve as building blocks or precursors for more complex materials. “The molecular precursor approach is advantageous because it allows precise control over the composition and homogeneity of the resulting material, while enabling its conversion into the active catalyst under relatively mild conditions,” Dr Chaudhary said.
Researchers first created distinct metal complexes of cobalt and nickel phosphates, then mixed them with atomically thin layers of carbon called exfoliated graphite and gently heated the mixture. The final result was a bifunctional catalyst that simultaneously performs both halves of the water-splitting reaction. “The combination of cobalt and nickel provides bifunctional activity toward both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), while the conductive graphite support enhances charge transport and promotes efficient utilisation of the active material,” said Prof Ramaswamy Murugavel, professor at IIT Bombay and the corresponding author of the study.
Towards A Sustainable Energy Future
The development of this robust, earth-abundant catalyst could help power a sustainable energy future. By eliminating dependence on expensive noble metals and proving that affordable, highly active materials can be engineered in the lab, the research brings the world one step closer to producing cheap, zero-emission hydrogen fuel to power our homes, vehicles, and industries. More importantly, the researchers said the process used to fabricate the catalysts could represent an important advancement in producing more precise materials. “We believe the most important message of this work is that molecular precursor engineering offers a powerful and versatile route for designing advanced electrocatalysts,” Dr Chaudhary added.
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