Designed a “core-shell structure catalyst” using cost-effective ruthenium to improve its potential for commercialization. Selected as a cover paper in the prestigious catalysis journal Energy & Environmental Science.
Seoul National University’s College of Engineering has announced a significant advancement in eco-friendly hydrogen production. A research team led by Professor Jin Young Kim from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Chan Woo Lee of Kookmin University and Dr. Sung Jong Yoo of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), has developed a highly advanced electrochemical catalyst. This breakthrough is expected to drive the next generation of sustainable hydrogen production technologies.
The catalyst features a ruthenium (Ru)-based nanocluster with a core-shell structure. Despite containing only a small amount of precious metal, it achieves outstanding performance and exceptional stability. When tested in industrial-scale water electrolysis systems, it showed impressive efficiency, demonstrating strong potential for commercial use.
The research was published in Energy & Environmental Science, a leading journal in the field of catalysis. The study was selected as the cover paper, highlighting both its innovative approach and its academic impact.
Hydrogen: A clean energy alternative
Hydrogen is widely regarded as a clean energy source because it does not emit carbon dioxide when burned, making it a promising alternative to fossil fuels. One of the most efficient ways to produce eco-friendly hydrogen is through water electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. Among various electrolysis methods, Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (AEMWE) is gaining attention as a next-generation technology due to its ability to produce high-purity hydrogen. However, for AEMWE to be commercially viable, it requires catalysts that offer both high efficiency and long-term stability.
Currently, platinum (Pt) is the most widely used catalyst for hydrogen production, but its high cost and rapid degradation present significant challenges. While researchers have explored non-precious metal alternatives, these materials typically suffer from low efficiency and poor stability, making them unsuitable for industrial use.
To overcome these limitations, the research team developed a novel core-shell nanocluster catalyst based on ruthenium (Ru), which is more than twice as cost-effective as platinum. By reducing the catalyst size to below 2 nanometers (nm) and minimizing the amount of precious metal to just one-third of what is used in conventional platinum-based electrodes, the team achieved superior performance surpassing that of existing platinum catalysts.
Record-breaking performance and stability
The newly developed catalyst demonstrated 4.4 times higher performance than platinum catalysts with the same precious metal content, setting a new benchmark in hydrogen evolution reaction efficiency. Additionally, it recorded the highest performance ever reported among hydrogen evolution catalysts. Its unique foam electrode structure optimizes the supply of reaction materials, ensuring outstanding stability even under high current densities.
In industrial-scale AEMWE testing, the new catalyst required significantly less power compared to commercial platinum catalysts. This result solidifies its potential as a game-changing solution for next-generation water electrolysis technology.
The development process involved several key innovations. First, the research team treated a titanium foam substrate with hydrogen peroxide to form a thin titanium oxide layer. This was followed by doping with the transition metal molybdenum (Mo). Next, ruthenium oxide nanoparticles, measuring just 1–2 nm in size, were uniformly deposited on the modified substrate.
Atomic-level engineering for enhanced functionality
A precise low-temperature thermal treatment induced atomic-level diffusion, forming the core-shell structure. During the hydrogen evolution reaction, an electrochemical reduction process further enhanced the material’s properties, resulting in a ruthenium metal core encapsulated by a porous reduced titania monolayer, with metallic molybdenum atoms positioned at the interface.
Looking ahead, the core-shell nanocluster catalyst is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of hydrogen production while drastically reducing the amount of precious metal required, ultimately lowering production costs. Its combination of high performance and economic feasibility makes it a strong candidate for use in hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles, eco-friendly transportation systems, hydrogen power plants, and various industrial applications.
Beyond its practical applications, this breakthrough represents a major technological advancement that could accelerate the transition from fossil fuel-based energy systems to a hydrogen-driven economy.
Professor Jin Young Kim emphasized the impact of the research, stating, “The core-shell catalyst, despite being smaller than 2 nanometers, demonstrates remarkable performance and stability. This breakthrough will contribute significantly to the development of nano core-shell device fabrication technology and hydrogen production, bringing us closer to a carbon-neutral future.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Hyun Woo Lim, the study’s first author, has been selected for the government’s Sejong Fellowship Program and continues his research as a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Kim’s lab at Seoul National University. His current focus is on further developing and commercializing the core-shell catalyst technology.
Reference: “A ruthenium–titania core-shell nanocluster catalyst for efficient and durable alkaline hydrogen evolution” by Hyun Woo Lim, Tae Kyung Lee, Subin Park, Dwi Sakti Aldianto Pratama, Bingyi Yan, Sung Jong Yoo, Chan Woo Lee and Jin Young Kim, 22 January 2025, Energy & Environmental Science.
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE04867A
Funding: National Research Foundation of Korea
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