A Highly Active Water Oxidation Catalyst Made by Spinel Oxide With Nickel, Iron, and Chromium
19 October 2026
Affiliation
NTU
Focus topic
Low-carbon H2 & Derivatives
Precious-metal-free catalyst for cheaper green hydrogen
Summary
A low-cost, earth-abundant transition metal oxide catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline and anion-exchange-membrane (AEM) water electrolysis, replacing precious-metal catalysts.
Achievements: after activation, current density at 300 mV overpotential rose ~1,435% to ~70 mA cm-2, outperforming many reported benchmark catalysts (most transition metal oxides need more than 300 mV just to reach 10 mA cm-2). In an AEM electrolyzer at 80oC it reached 1 A cm-2 at 1.65 V, with higher activity than commercial IrO2 and NiFeOOH at the same loading. Over 90 h at 200 mA cm-2, degradation was 0.632 mV h-1, ~75% lower than the NiFeOOH benchmark (3.25 mV h-1). The oxide is made by a convenient, scalable route with no hazardous emissions.
Carbon abatement: enables lower-cost, precious-metal-free green hydrogen from renewable electricity, displacing hydrogen from natural gas reforming.
What makes this novel compared to best-in-class technology?
Most low-cost oxide catalysts are too sluggish, while top performers use scarce iridium or ruthenium. This earth-abundant oxide is activated by a simple step, beating commercial IrO2 and NiFeOOH in an electrolyzer with ~75% lower degradation.
TRL Level
1-3
Relevant for
AEM and alkaline electrolyzer manufacturers
Catalyst and electrode suppliers
Green hydrogen producers
About
Inventors: Luo Songzhu, Dai Chencheng, Xu Zhichuan, Adrian Charles Fisher
Affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE); University of Cambridge
Contact NTU for licensing opportunities and more information.
Please quote ID ref [2023-090] in your email.