Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising and environmentally friendly energy sources. It is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules using electrical energy. To accelerate this process, special catalysts are required. Currently, materials containing iridium (Ir) are used as catalysts for the oxygen release reaction. Mikhail Soldatov, an associate professor at the International Institute for Smart Materials Research at Southern Federal University, explained that iridium is a widespread element in the Earth’s crust, and its extraction is an expensive and energy-consuming process.
Soldatov says: “Imagine the catalyst as a magnet that must hold the reaction products for a specific period. If the magnet is too strong, the intermediate particles will stick tightly and slow down the process, but if it is too weak, they will not hold sufficiently. The ‘perfect point’ has been achieved by precisely tuning the polarity of the (Ru-O) bond and selecting the appropriate quantity of atoms to improve the interaction strength, allowing the oxygen evolution reaction to occur easily and reliably.”
Soldatov continued: “This catalyst enables us to reduce the overpotential of the oxygen evolution reaction by tens of millivolts, which is critical as every millivolt makes a significant difference. An overpotential of 214 millivolts is better than most ruthenium oxide-based catalysts, which are also less active and stable.”
In the future, scientists at Southern Federal University plan to focus on developing catalysts for other critically important technological processes.
