Enhanced Electrocatalytic Water Splitting for Green Hydrogen Generation

A new metallopolymer catalyst has been developed to improve and simplify water electrolysis, targeting energy storage from renewable power production. Initial studies have shown that these metallopolymers have high turn-over frequency and improved stability in aqueous systems for producing hydrogen.

Background:
Platinum and other catalytic materials have been commercially used or experimentally tested as cathodes for hydrogen production. This catalyst has been developed as a mimic of a biological catalyst for hydrogen reduction. Increased demand for hydrogen, use of hydrogen as a non-carbon fuel source, and interest in enabling electrochemical processes for energy storage or enhanced utilization from renewable power drive the need for catalysts with improved performance.

Applications:

• Renewable power energy utilization or storage
• Hydrogen without co-production of carbon dioxide
• Compact modular system for syngas hydrogen adjustment
• Electrolysis
• Water-splitting
• Hydrogen production

Advantages:

• No platinum catalyst
• Catalyst is water soluble
• Simple membrane design
• Water splitting at neutral pH