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A research team led by Dr. Kyung-Soo Kang and Dr. Hyun-Jun Lee from the Hydrogen Energy Research Division of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed Ni/Co-based heterostructure water electrolysis electrodes that deliver higher hydrogen production efficiency than conventional noble-metal electrodes.

The new electrodes have achieved a 99% reduction in material costs compared with noble-metal electrodes, contributing to a reduction in hydrogen production costs. Conventional noble metals are approximately $58/g for platinum (Pt) and $54/g for ruthenium (Ru), whereas KIER's electrode materials are approximately $0.02/g for nickel (Ni) and $0.05/g for cobalt (Co)

Water electrolysis is an eco-friendly technology that produces hydrogen by splitting water using electricity. In particular, alkaline electrolysis is ideal for large-scale hydrogen production owing to its relatively low installation and equipment costs.

However, its hydrogen production rate remains lower than those of alternative technologies, as the water-splitting kinetics under alkaline conditions are over 100 times slower than in acidic environments. Although noble-metal catalysts such as platinum and ruthenium significantly boost reaction rates, their high raw material prices pose a major bottleneck for mass production.

Against this backdrop, the KIER research team designed a heterostructure electrode that integrates Ni oxide—which accelerates water dissociation—and a Ni-Co alloy—which facilitates hydrogen production—on a single electrode surface.

Specifically, Ni oxide effectively promotes water dissociation, the rate-determining step in alkaline water electrolysis . Simultaneously, the Ni-Co alloy enhances hydrogen evolution, thereby accelerating the overall reaction kinetics.

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