South Korean Researchers Develop Breakthrough Catalyst for Low-Cost Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen is a clean energy source that can help fight climate change. It produces no carbon emissions and stores more energy by weight than gasoline. One way to make hydrogen is by electrochemical water-splitting, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. But this method needs rare and costly catalysts, making large-scale production difficult. Researchers are now working to create cheaper, more efficient alternatives.

A team from Hanyang University ERICA campus in South Korea, led by Professor Seunghyun Lee and Mr. Dun Chan Cha, has made a breakthrough. They developed new electrocatalysts using boron-doped cobalt phosphide nanosheets from metal-organic frameworks. These catalysts are efficient, stable, and low-cost. They performed well in both hydrogen evolution (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions. An alkaline electrolyzer using these materials outperformed many current systems and remained stable for over 100 hours. Their findings were also backed by DFT calculations, confirming the role of boron and phosphorus tuning in boosting performance.

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