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Climate change

Breakthrough in Sustainable Hydrogen Generation from Natural Resources

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Scientists at Chung-Ang University and Qingdao University of Science and Technology have developed a cost-effective and robust electrocatalyst that enables high-performance hydrogen evolution in saline environments, paving the way for large-scale, green hydrogen infrastructure. By overcoming the limitations of conventional platinum and ruthenium catalysts, this research addresses the critical barriers to commercialization of alkaline water electrolysis. The breakthrough has significant implications for climate change mitigation, enabling rapid decarbonization of transportation, industrial, and power generation sectors.

Key Takeaways:

  • A research team led by Assistant Professor Haeseong Jang and Professor Xien Liu developed a ruthenium (Ru)-based electrocatalyst that overcomes limitations of conventional platinum or Ru catalysts in alkaline and seawater electrolysis.
  • The catalyst, called a/c-Ru@NC, exhibits outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with an overpotential of just 15 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH.
  • The catalyst demonstrates stability over 250 hours and exceptional chloride corrosion resistance, with only 8 mV performance degradation in simulated seawater.
  • The a/c-Ru@NC synergistically combines abundant active sites with optimized electron transport, nitrogen-doped carbon support prevents Ru oxidation and agglomeration, and the overall design provides exceptional chloride-corrosion resistance.
  • This breakthrough enables seawater electrolysis for direct hydrogen production from seawater using chloride-resistant catalysts, opening up vast oceanic resources for clean energy generation.
  • The enhanced alkaline water electrolysis systems demonstrate remarkable economic viability with 37-fold higher mass activity compared to commercial Pt catalysts, making hydrogen production significantly more cost-effective.

Statistics:

  • The a/c-Ru@NC catalyst exhibits an overpotential of just 15 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH.
  • The catalyst demonstrates stable operation over 250 hours in 1.0 M KOH.
  • The a/c-Ru@NC exhibits exceptional chloride corrosion resistance with only 8 mV performance degradation in simulated seawater.
  • The breakthrough has the potential to accelerate climate change mitigation efforts by enabling rapid decarbonization of transportation, industrial, and power generation sectors.
  • The enhanced alkaline water electrolysis systems demonstrate 37-fold higher mass activity compared to commercial Pt catalysts.

Sources:

  • Chung-Ang University: The breakthrough was made available online in August 2025.
  • Reference: Title of original paper: g-C3N4-Mediated Synthesis of Ru Crystalline/Amorphous Heterostructures on N-Doped Carbon for Efficient and Chloride-Resistant Alkaline HER Journal: Advanced Functional Materials DOI: https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/adfm.202517551
  • About Chung-Ang University Website: Contact: Sungki Shin 02-820-6614 401357@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Chung-Ang University

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