Rapid Manufacturing of High-Entropy Oxide Catalyst-Coated PEM Electrodes for Hydrogen Production
19 October 2026
Affiliation
NTU
Focus topic
Low-carbon H2 & Derivatives
Laser-coated high-entropy catalyst electrodes in seconds
Summary
A rapid manufacturing route that coats high-entropy oxide (HEO) nanostructure catalysts directly onto metal substrates for PEM water electrolyzer electrodes, and the resulting electrodes and MEAs.
Achievements: compositionally uniform nanoparticle catalyst layers (typically ~2-20 nm particles) formed in seconds directly on titanium foam substrates and as powders. A PEM cell using the coated electrodes as both anode and cathode, fed with pure water at 60-80oC, delivered 1.0-1.1 A cm-2 at 1.7-1.8 V, an industrially relevant current density. The process needs fewer materials and lower operating cost than conventional synthesis, and the multi-metal composition reduces reliance on a single precious metal.
This is an electrolyzer catalyst/electrode, so the hydrogen is produced from water with no process carbon emissions; it is low-carbon when the electrolyzer runs on renewable or other low-carbon electricity.
Carbon abatement: faster, lower-cost electrode manufacturing for green hydrogen.
What makes this novel compared to best-in-class technology?
High-entropy catalysts are conventionally made in bulk by slow, energy-intensive routes, then applied to electrodes separately. This process forms uniform high-entropy oxide nanoparticles directly on acid-stable PEM electrode substrates in seconds, combining catalyst synthesis and electrode manufacture in one step.
TRL Level
1-3
Relevant for
PEM electrolyzer OEMs and stack manufacturers
Porous transport layer and electrode suppliers
Green hydrogen producers
About
Inventors: Huang Yizhong, Lu Yu, Xiu Mingzhen
Affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
Contact NTU for licensing opportunities and more information.
Please quote ID ref [2024-056] in your email.