In a significant development for green hydrogen and clean energy technologies, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have developed a low-cost and highly durable catalyst that could help reduce the cost of green hydrogen production. The research team created a novel material combining cobalt, nickel, phosphate and graphite. The catalyst can accelerate both hydrogen and oxygen generation from water, potentially reducing dependence on expensive noble metals such as platinum and iridium. As a result, the new material could offer a more affordable and sustainable approach to water electrolysis, a key technology for producing green hydrogen.
How Water Electrolysis Produces Green Hydrogen
Water electrolysis is one of the most widely used methods for producing hydrogen. In this process, an electric current passes through water and splits it into hydrogen and oxygen. However, the electrochemical reactions involved face significant kinetic barriers and require considerable energy to proceed efficiently. Therefore, catalysts play a critical role by accelerating these reactions without being consumed during the process. The challenge, however, lies in developing catalysts that combine high activity, long-term durability and low cost.
Moving Beyond Expensive Noble Metal Catalysts
Currently, many high-performance water-splitting systems rely on precious metals such as platinum, ruthenium and iridium. Although these metals deliver excellent catalytic performance, they remain scarce, expensive and can degrade under demanding operating conditions. The IIT Bombay researchers therefore focused on developing an efficient catalyst using more earth-abundant and affordable materials. “The primary motivation was to develop an efficient and durable earth-abundant catalyst for overall water splitting,” said Dr Savi Chaudhary, IIT Bombay researcher and the first author of the study.
Molecular Engineering Enables Precise Catalyst Design
To develop the new material, the researchers used molecular precursor engineering. This approach involves designing specific molecular and metallic compounds that act as building blocks for more complex functional materials. According to Dr Chaudhary, the approach allows researchers to precisely control the composition and uniformity of the final material while enabling its conversion into an active catalyst under relatively mild conditions. First, the team developed distinct metal complexes of cobalt and nickel phosphates. They then combined these materials with atomically thin layers of carbon known as exfoliated graphite and gently heated the mixture. The resulting material formed a bifunctional electrocatalyst, capable of supporting both major reactions involved in water splitting.
Cobalt and Nickel Drive Hydrogen and Oxygen Generation
The catalyst performs both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which are essential for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. “The combination of cobalt and nickel provides bifunctional activity toward both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), while the conductive graphite support enhances charge transport and promotes efficient utilisation of the active material,” said Prof Ramaswamy Murugavel, Professor at IIT Bombay and the corresponding author of the study. Furthermore, the graphite support improves electrical conductivity and helps facilitate efficient charge transport. Together, these characteristics could enhance the overall performance of electrochemical water-splitting systems.
Advancing Affordable and Sustainable Green Hydrogen
The development could represent an important step towards making green hydrogen production more cost-effective and sustainable. By replacing expensive noble metals with more abundant materials, the new catalyst addresses one of the major cost challenges associated with electrolysis technologies. At the same time, its durability could support longer operational lifetimes and improve the economic viability of green hydrogen systems. Moreover, the research demonstrates how advanced material design can contribute to the development of next-generation technologies for clean energy, industrial decarbonisation and sustainable fuel production.
Molecular Precursor Engineering Opens New Possibilities
Beyond the catalyst itself, the researchers believe that the molecular precursor engineering approach could offer a versatile pathway for developing advanced electrocatalysts. “We believe the most important message of this work is that molecular precursor engineering offers a powerful and versatile route for designing advanced electrocatalysts,” Dr Chaudhary added. Going forward, this approach could help researchers develop more precisely engineered materials for applications ranging from green hydrogen production and water electrolysis to energy storage and other electrochemical technologies. As reported by rediff.com, the IIT Bombay research highlights how low-cost, earth-abundant materials and innovative molecular engineering could help accelerate the transition towards affordable green hydrogen and a more sustainable clean energy future.
