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Scientists share 'important step' to improve hydrogen production with novel catalyst: 'Better performance and lower cost'

"Our findings offer a blueprint."

"Our findings offer a blueprint."

Photo Credit: iStock

As we continue to witness the devastating effects that air-polluting, heat-trapping emissions have on our planet, scientists are working to develop and test new clean energy sources that could pave the way for a cleaner, cooler future.  

As one of the cleaner sources, hydrogen has become a viable option due to its higher energy density and versatility over traditional fuels such as gasoline. However, mass production of hydrogen faces obstacles, including reliance on catalysts made with high-cost rare earth minerals, according to a mid-June news release issued by Hanyang University in South Korea.  

Now, researchers at the university have developed a brand-new catalyst to improve the process of producing hydrogen. Documented in their study published in March in the journal Small, the team of researchers was able to create a novel low-cost, efficient, and long-lasting material to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity.

Seunghyun Lee, a professor at Hanyang and co-author of the study, explained the significance of the team's research in the release.

"We have successfully developed cobalt phosphides-based nanomaterials by adjusting boron doping and phosphorus content using metal-organic frameworks," Lee explained. "These materials have better performance and lower cost than conventional electrocatalysts, making them suitable for large-scale hydrogen production."

Pure hydrogen is extremely rare on Earth because of how easily it reacts with other elements. Most of the hydrogen that we use today comes from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Unfortunately, this production method releases carbon dioxide and other gases, according to the Climate Portal at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

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Leveraging innovative solutions like this novel catalyst from the Hanyang University team, manufacturers may eventually be able to produce hydrogen on a scale large enough to efficiently fuel vehicles, mass transportation, and even power grids.  

Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by meaningfully expanding the clean energy mix can go a long way in lowering global temperatures and mitigating pressing human-caused climate issues such as melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and destructive weather events.

"Our findings offer a blueprint for designing and synthesizing next-generation high-efficiency catalysts that can drastically reduce hydrogen production costs," Lee added. "This is an important step towards making large-scale green hydrogen production a reality, which will ultimately help in reducing global carbon emissions and mitigating climate change."

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