Catalyzing the transition to a greener future

The replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy is critical for achieving EU climate neutrality by 2050. Energy storage solutions, though, are needed due to the intermittent nature of renewables such as solar and wind. Green hydrogen is a promising candidate: surplus renewable energy is converted to hydrogen by water electrolysis when production is higher than consumption, the stored energy can then be used when renewable sources are insufficient. However, water electrolysis – the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – is constrained by the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The development of improved OER catalysts is thus key to increasing the efficiency of water electrolysis and accelerating the widespread implementation of water electrolyzers, supporting the transition towards net-zero.