Searching for a More Affordable Method of Producing “Green Hydrogen” | Faculty of Chemistry at the Gdańsk University of Technology

Mariusz Szkoda, PhD, Eng., from the Faculty of Chemistry of Gdańsk University of Technology and Anna Ilnicka, PhD, DSc, from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń aim to develop an innovative method of synthesizing stable catalysts based on nitrides.

The aim of the project is the effective and economical production of hydrogen. The scientists obtained funding from the National Science Centre under the OPUS programme in the amount of almost PLN 2 million.

Hydrogen is one of the most promising energy carriers, used in various sectors such as in road, sea and rail transport. In the future, it may also be used in households. However, in order for hydrogen to be an ecological alternative to fossil fuels, it must be obtained in a low-emission process.

Alternative Catalysts – A Cheaper and More Effective Future for Electrolysis

One of the best methods of producing hydrogen is the electrochemical splitting of water, i.e. electrolysis. This process requires stable catalysts, which are currently based on expensive and hard-to-find elements such as platinum, iridium or ruthenium. The project is looking for alternative catalysts based on metal nitrides, which have the potential to match platinum in terms of efficiency, while being significantly cheaper. The major challenge to overcome is their stability. Therefore, it is planned to combine metal nitrides with nitrogen-doped graphene, which is expected to enhance both the durability and conductivity of the material, and thus improving the efficiency of the electrolysis process.

The project involves the development of a bi-functional catalyst that will be able to participate simultaneously in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Thanks to this, it will be possible to replace the previously used materials with a single universal solution.

The developed material will be obtained in the form of a powder, which poses a challenge in terms of its implementation in electrolytic devices. The next stage of the research will be the development of a method for applying the catalyst to a suitable material, thus creating electrodes for the electrolysis process. The hydrogen obtained in this way can be described as "green" if it is produced using energy from renewable sources, such as photovoltaic cells or wind turbines. The project is carried out in cooperation between Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and Gdańsk University of Technology. The leader of the project is a team of researchers from UMK, while the team from Gdańsk University of Technology is responsible for key aspects of catalyst research. The total value of the project is PLN 1,927,234, of which PLN 493,490 was allocated for research at Gdańsk University of Technology.