LG Chem has developed a new technology that could significantly reduce the cost of producing green hydrogen by cutting the use of expensive rare metals while extending the lifespan of key electrolysis components.
The company said on Sunday that it had developed an interface stabilization technology that improves the durability of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) water electrolysis electrodes, a core component used to produce hydrogen from water. The research was conducted jointly with a team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and was published in Nature Communications on July 21.
PEM water electrolysis is regarded as one of the most promising technologies for producing carbon-free hydrogen using electricity. However, its widespread adoption has been limited by high equipment costs, largely because the electrodes require iridium, one of the world’s rarest and most expensive metals.
Reducing the amount of iridium lowers production costs but also shortens the operating life of the electrodes because the metal degrades more quickly during hydrogen production.
LG Chem said it solved the problem by applying an ultra-thin, atom-scale protective coating to the surface of iridium. The coating prevents the metal from dissolving while reinforcing the internal structure of the electrode.
The technology cuts iridium usage by half while more than doubling the operating time under high-current conditions without performance degradation, potentially lowering both initial investment and replacement costs for green hydrogen production facilities.
LG Chem said it has completed technical validation using large-scale electrodes and is conducting product evaluations with multiple global companies as it works toward commercializing the technology.
By Jeong Ji-seong and Minu Kim
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