Iridium Catalysts – Efficient Green Hydrogen Production

Various research papers show iridium catalysts enabling higher efficiency of hydrogen production; high cost stops widespread adoption.

Here’s an article posted in Phys that explains how Iridium catalysts unlock efficiency in hydrogen production.

According to the article,

• Iridium-based catalysts show promise in making hydrogen production more efficient and sustainable.
• The high cost of iridium is a primary challenge in the widespread adoption of these catalysts.
• Research is focused on addressing this challenge through strategies such as defect engineering and adjusting synergistic effects.

Iridium has great catalytic properties especially in the reactions involved for making hydrogen, such as:

1. Stability:
   • Iridium-based catalysts exhibit much better catalytic stability in acidic environments compared to non-precious metal-based catalysts, such as those using cobalt, nickel, or iron, which are prone to corrosion.
2. Efficiency:
   • Iridium-based catalysts have been shown to improve the efficiency of green hydrogen production by enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in PEMWEs. Recent studies have reported significant advances in the development of iridium-based catalysts, including the use of new synthesis methods and the optimization of catalyst structures and compositions.
3. Mechanism:
   • The mechanism of iridium-based catalysts involves the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is crucial for energy efficiency. The arrangement of water molecules in a pattern improves the efficiency of iridium oxide catalysts by 5% to 10%, consuming less energy to yield a higher output.

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