【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Fudan University’s embedded carrier catalysts overcome the key challenges in PEM electrolysis for hydrogen production
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On February 14, a research team from Fudan University published in the internationally renowned journal Science an embedded carrier-based catalyst that successfully overcame the key bottleneck in PEM electrolysis for hydrogen production. As a technology innovation company incubated by Fudan University, Shanhai Hydrogen (Shanghai) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is bringing this significant achievement to full industrialization. By leveraging this new technology from its strategic partners, Tianhe Yuanhydro will work together to develop a new generation of PEM electrolyzers, thereby achieving a significant reduction in equipment costs, a substantial improvement in product efficiency, and an extended operational lifespan. PEM (proton exchange membrane) water electrolysis technology is one of the most cutting-edge technologies today; it features a small size, high current density, and high flexibility, which has drawn significant attention from the market. However, PEM technology relies on oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts, and currently, iridium and its oxides (IrO?) are the only catalysts that can function stably in the highly acidic environment of PEMs. As a precious metal, iridium is expensive and its reserves in the Earth’s crust are extremely limited, which poses a significant economic barrier to the widespread deployment of PEMWE water electrolysis systems. Therefore, developing a low-cost, efficient, and stable OER catalyst has become a key issue that the academic and industrial communities around the world are eager to address. The newly introduced design for an innovative catalyst involves embedding iridium oxide nanoparticles within a cerium oxide carrier, thereby creating a stable and efficient supported catalyst that achieves technological advancements across various aspects, from cost to energy efficiency. The three breakthroughs achieved by Professor Zhang Bo’s team at Fudan University have provided a boost to the development of the hydrogen energy industry. Breakthrough ①: Cost reduced by 85%: Embedded catalysts reduce the use of the precious metal iridium by 85%, resulting in a significant drop in costs ； Breakthrough ②: 65% improvement in energy efficiency – catalyst activity elevated to world-class levels, with water electrolysis efficiency far exceeding that of existing technologies ； Breakthrough ③: Long service life of up to 15 years – no performance decline after 6,000 hours of accelerated aging tests; the device’s lifespan is extended by 50%, offering world-leading stability. This achievement is the first of its kind on the international stage; it exceeds all the targets set by the U.S. Department of Energy for PEM water electrolysis catalysts by 2026, marking China’s transition from following in the footsteps of others to taking the lead in the field of green hydrogen. Tianhe Yuan Hydrogen and Shanhai Hydrogen signed a strategic cooperation agreement in December 2024. The two parties aim to overcome the various technical challenges existing in the field of hydrogen energy; by making efforts in areas such as technology research and development, product innovation, and market expansion, they seek to promote the combined use of ALK and PEM electrolyzer systems, thereby working together to create a more complete and efficient ecosystem for the hydrogen energy industry. In the future, Tianhe Yuanhydro will leverage the technological achievements of this innovative catalyst to develop PEM electrolyzers with high cost-performance ratios, thereby accelerating the development of the green hydrogen industry. By collaborating with internationally leading innovation teams, it is believed that Tianhe Yuanhydro’s next-generation PEM electrolyzers will have a broader market potential.
It makes the \"sesame seeds\" on the \"sesame ball\" more robust, and reduces the amount of precious metals used in catalysts by 85%. As global pressure to address climate change and pursue energy transition increases, green hydrogen, as an efficient and sustainable energy carrier, is attracting growing attention. In the production of green hydrogen, PEMWE electrolysis (proton exchange membrane water electrolysis) technology is one of the most advanced techniques available today. Its ability to efficiently split water to produce hydrogen gives it a crucial role in the industrial development of green hydrogen worldwide. However, the widespread application of PEMWE technology still faces several technical bottlenecks, one of the most significant challenges being the catalyst. PEMWE relies on oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts, and the efficiency of this catalytic process directly determines the energy efficiency and economic viability of the entire water electrolysis process. Currently, iridium and its oxides (IrO?) are the only catalysts that can operate stably in the highly acidic environment of PEMWE. As a precious metal, iridium is expensive and its reserves in the Earth’s crust are extremely limited; currently, only 6,400 tons of iridium have been identified on Earth. This poses a significant economic barrier to the widespread deployment of PEMWE water electrolysis systems. At the same time, the catalytic activity and stability of iridium-based catalysts still fall short of the requirements of the future green hydrogen industry.
Therefore, developing a low-cost, efficient, and stable OER catalyst has become a key issue that the academic and industrial communities around the world are eager to address. To overcome this bottleneck, Zhang Bo’s team proposed an innovative catalyst design – embedding iridium oxide nanoparticles within a cerium oxide carrier to create a stable and efficient supported catalyst. This approach reduced the amount of iridium used by 85% and significantly improved catalytic efficiency, resulting in a 65% increase in the overall energy efficiency of the device. Specifically, the research team utilized the spontaneous growth (aging) process of nanocrystals under ultrasonic and heating effects. By establishing a relationship between the growth rate of the support and the nucleation rate of the catalyst, they embedded IrOx nanoparticles within cerium oxide supports, thereby creating a stable and efficient supported catalyst that significantly improved the efficiency and stability of catalysis (Figure 3). “Figuratively speaking, supported catalysts look like the sesame balls we eat for breakfast. ‘The ‘sesame seeds’ on the surface of ‘maqiu’ are iridium oxide. It is these ‘sesame seeds’ that play a catalytic role. ”Zhang Bo used an analogy. However, this structure leads to a problem: the process of producing hydrogen by electrolyzing water generates a large number of bubbles, which continuously wash away the catalyst. As a result, the \"sesame seeds\" attached to the \"bunches\" tend to fall off easily, leading to the deactivation of the catalyst.
How can we prevent \"sesame seeds\" from falling off easily? Zhang Bo thought about teeth: “Teeth are planted in the gums.” If half of the ‘sesame seeds’ are embedded inside the ‘sesame ball’ and half remain on the outside, then no matter how much the bubbles wash against them, the sesame seeds will not fall off easily. ” Theoretical calculations combined with electron microscopy applications, along with cross-team collaboration to verify the effectiveness of the method: After the idea of \"planting sesame seeds on mahjong balls\" was proposed, cooperation between the theoretical calculation team and the experimental team is necessary in order to bring this application to reality. In PEMWE electrolysis systems for hydrogen production, precise theoretical calculations are required to match the growth rate of the \"sesame balls\" with that of the \"sesame seeds\" on their surface, so as to achieve a configuration in which half is on the outside and half is embedded. Otherwise, if their growth rates are unbalanced, two situations may arise: one is that the \"sesame\" is completely consumed by the \"sesame ball\", resulting in a loss of catalytic activity ； Secondly, only a little “sesame” adheres, increasing the risk of detachment. To achieve a growth rate that matches between the two, Professor Xu Xin’s team from the Department of Chemistry developed an efficient algorithm based on the principle of \"separating fast and slow processes,\" enabling precise theoretical simulation of the growth process of catalysts with millions of atoms within a few hours. Theoretical simulation results show that the continuous growth of the carrier’s high-energy surface is key to precisely embedding the \"sesame seeds\" into the \"sesame ball\".
Experimentally, the use of state-of-the-art research instruments enables the catalyst synthesis and growth process to be observed in real time. Based on the hypothesis proposed by Zhang Bo’s team, and using cryo-transmission electron microscopy (CryoTEM) as well as cryo-CT scanning technology (CryoET), Xu Yifei, a young researcher in the Department of Polymer Science, was able to observe, through a time-resolved synthesis process, how the “sesame” particles grew and became embedded. The team conducted in-situ high-resolution 3D observations of the catalyst’s formation process and final morphology in solution, effectively confirming the effectiveness of this synthesis strategy. The experimental results corroborated the theoretical full-atom dynamics Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations, confirming that the matching of the growth rates of the carrier and the catalyst is the decisive factor for embedding the \"sesame seeds\" within the \"sesame ball\" (Figure 4). Test results of this catalyst under PEMWE conditions for up to 6000 hours show that the synthesized embedded catalyst effectively prevented the dissolution, shedding, and agglomeration of iridium particles, thereby significantly improving the catalyst’s activity and stability during long-term operation. Specifically, at the industrial current density used for green hydrogen production (3 A/cm2), the cell voltage of this catalyst was as low as 1.72 V, with a voltage degradation rate of only 1.3 μV/h; moreover, the total amount of precious metals loaded in the membrane electrode was merely 0.4 g/cm2 (Figure 3), which far exceeds the international targets set by the U.S. **Energy Department for 2026. Based on the experimental results, the lifespan of the products manufactured in this way is estimated to be over 15 years. The three-year research and development process behind this achievement made Zhang Bo realize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration: \"Teamwork is extremely important; it’s like a bucket – only if each piece is long enough can the resulting bucket be tall enough.\" Only by leveraging the strengths of teams with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and working together to tackle challenges can complex problems be solved. ”
Connecting to photovoltaic energy storage above and industrial decarbonization below, it helps reduce costs and improve efficiency in the water electrolysis industry. In September 2020, China set targets for achieving \"carbon peak\" by 2030 and \"carbon neutrality\" by 2060. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) projections, by 2050 global demand for hydrogen is expected to exceed 100 million tons, with the majority of this coming from green hydrogen. The findings of this research will provide key technical support for achieving carbon neutrality goals in China and around the world. As one of the earliest teams in China to engage in research on water electrolysis, Zhang Bo’s team has been continuously exploring the catalytic mechanisms behind water electrolysis and promoting collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions for many years. “The hydrogen production system using electrolysis of water is connected at the upper end to large-scale photovoltaic and wind power systems for hydrogen storage, and at the lower end to industrial deep decarbonization processes; it is of great significance to the nation’s economy and people’s livelihoods, and can be integrated into all aspects of social production and daily life. ”Zhang Bo believes. On the hydrogen production side, a key difference between wind and solar power generation, as well as nuclear and thermal power, is that they are subject to seasonal and climatic constraints and thus produce electricity intermittently; they cannot be directly connected to the power grid. Hydrogen production via water electrolysis can overcome this limitation by converting excess electrical energy into chemical energy, thereby enabling flexible storage on a large scale across different seasons. For example, during the summer when there is an abundance of energy, electrical energy can be converted into hydrogen for storage, and the energy can be released again when it is needed.
On the downstream decarbonization side, carbon dioxide can combine with hydrogen to produce various chemicals such as methanol and ethylene. From this perspective, industries in the sector that generate carbon dioxide emissions, such as cement, steel, petroleum processing, and coal chemical industry, can utilize hydrogen production systems based on water electrolysis to generate green hydrogen. This hydrogen can then be used to convert carbon dioxide into chemicals with high added value, thereby facilitating deep decarbonization across these industries. At present, due to the high cost of catalysts, the PEMWE electrolysis water hydrogen production technology holds only a 3% market share in China, compared to 47% abroad. Building on these achievements, Zhang Bo’s team will focus on integrating fundamental research with industrial applications, working together with enterprises to translate research results into practical use, thereby increasing China’s market share in PEMWE technology and helping to reduce costs and improve efficiency in the water electrolysis industry. In the long term, as PEMWE technology continues to develop, the applications of hydrogen will also expand, ranging from traditional industrial sectors to areas such as electric transportation, distributed power generation, and energy storage. Hydrogen is expected to become an important component of the global energy system in the future. In the future, the team plans to build upon the pilot-scale production lines it has developed, as well as advanced research tools such as CryoTEM, in-situ Raman spectroscopy, and full-atomistic KMC simulations, to continue researching catalyst materials that are low-cost, highly active, and stable. This will enable the development of more innovative solutions for green hydrogen production, while also optimizing other components of PEMWE systems to improve their overall performance and cost-effectiveness. “Serving **major strategic goals and advancing the greening of global energy has always been the dream of our team. ”Zhang Bo said hopefully that he hopes scientific research achievements can not only end up on bookshelves but also on sales shelves. Shi Wenjuan, an associate researcher at the Department of Polymer Science at Fudan University, and Shen Tonghao, a young researcher at the Department of Chemistry, are the co-first authors of the paper. Professor Zhang Bo from the Department of Polymer Science at Fudan University, young researcher Xu Yifei, as well as young researcher Duan Sai from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Xu Xin are the co-corresponding authors. Fudan University is the sole institution responsible for this work. This research was supported by funds from the **National Natural Science Foundation, the 2030 Science and Technology Innovation Program’s major project on “Quantum Communication and Quantum Computers”, and the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program.
【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Chinese scientists have successfully developed a hydrogen production catalyst with an extremely long lifespan https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5680075-1-1.html (Source: HaiChuan Chemical Forum)