It has been learned from Nankai University that Professor Luo Jingshan′s team from the School of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering at Nankai University, in collaboration with a research team from the University of the Basque Country in Spain, has made significant progress in the study of electrocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production.

The joint team has constructed a highly active hydrogen evolution catalyst under alkaline conditions using the interaction of metal carriers, which can operate stably for more than 1000 hours at a high current density of 5 amperes per square centimeter, meeting the commercial application needs of anion exchange membrane electrolysis of water for hydrogen production technology. The relevant research results have been published in the international academic journal Nature Communications.

At present, alkaline electrolysis of water (ALK) and proton exchange membrane electrolysis of water (PEM) have a relatively high proportion of hydrogen production technologies. Among them, while ALK hydrogen production technology has low production costs and mature industrialization, the purity of the hydrogen produced is not high and the energy efficiency is low. Hydrogen with high purity is produced under PEM hydrogen production technology thanks to its high energy efficiency, but the cost is relatively high. The anion exchange membrane (AEM) hydrogen production technology is considered to be the third-generation electrolytic water hydrogen production technology that combines the advantages of both, with high efficiency, low cost, and fast start stop advantages. However, the insufficient stability of the electrolytic cell system under high current density limits its industrial application.

According to Luo Jingshan, developing catalysts with long lifespan and stable performance under high current density is one of the core issues that urgently needs to be addressed in AEM hydrogen production technology.

We assembled an AEM electrolysis cell using ruthenium nanoparticle catalysts supported on titanium nitride, which can operate stably for over 1000 hours at current densities of 1 ampere, 2 ampere, and 5 ampere per square centimeter with almost no performance degradation, "said Zhao Jia, the first author of the Paper and a doctoral student from the School of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University in 2021.

At an industrial grade current density of 5 amperes per square centimeter, our research results can operate efficiently and stably in AEM electrolysis cells, overcoming the problem of catalyst instability and meeting the needs of large-scale commercial applications of AEM hydrogen production, "said Luo Jingshan." In the future, the team will continue to invest in independent research and development of green hydrogen production technology, promote the rapid transformation and landing of scientific and technological achievements, and contribute to the construction of a zero carbon, low-cost, safe and reliable green hydrogen energy supply system.