Researchers in the UK have identified a way to speed up the production of green hydrogen after discovering that atoms can mix, split apart and reorganize during the same experiment.

The discovery led to the creation of a record-breaking catalyst for electrochemical water splitting, the process used to produce hydrogen from water. It is reportedly one of the most effective catalysts yet reported for hydrogen generation.

Led by Jesum Alves Fernandes, PhD, a professor at the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry, the team created nanoscale particles containing a few dozen platinum and nickel atoms. They then recorded unusual atomic changes in direct space and in real time.

As the metals separated from one another, they maintained an atomically defined interface. The team observed that the structure is highly active for electrochemical water splitting, leading to efficient hydrogen production.

A new hydrogen route

The project brought together researchers from the University of Nottingham, the University of Birmingham, Diamond Light Source, and Ulm University in Germany. “What makes this discovery exciting is that we can reversibly tune the structure of the particle while directly observing the process at the atomic scale,” Fernandes pointed out.

To form the nanoparticles, the team turned to advanced electron microscopy. The platinum and nickel atoms were initially evenly mixed and formed a conventional alloy. Within seconds, though, the two metals began separating while maintaining a shared atomic boundary.

The observation contradicted the normal tendency of mixed materials to remain blended. It suggested that the nanoparticles could dynamically reorganize under specific conditions.

“This was an astonishing observation, as it appeared to go against conventional thermodynamic behaviors,” Emerson Kohlrausch, PhD, a researcher who led the experimental work at the University of Nottingham, said.

The separation process happens when atoms interact with a beam of high-energy electrons in microscopy experiments. The electron beams transfer energy to the atoms and cause them to move and occupy new positions within the particle.

“It is important to create conditions under which we can track positions of every atom,” Ute Kaiser, PhD, a professor at Ulm University, emphasized. “To achieve this, we employed the thinnest possible material to support the nanoparticles, the graphene sheet, and carefully controlled electron beam energy and flux.”

A hydrogen breakthrough

When nickel split from the platinum, it reacted with the surrounding oxygen and generated nickel oxide (NiO). “This results in nanoparticles made of two halves – platinum metal and nickel oxide, separated by an atomically defined interface,” Andrei Khlobystov, PhD, a nanomaterials professor at the university, added.

According to the researchers, this interface is the key to the material’s exceptional catalytic performance. They saw that a similar separation process occurs naturally during electrochemical water splitting. Platinum and nickel oxide each contribute different functions to the reaction, and their close atomic contact enables them to work together more efficiently.

Meanwhile, the resulting catalyst delivered hydrogen production rates that place it among the most effective materials reported for electrochemical water splitting. “This opens a new strategy for designing adaptive catalysts for a wide range of applications,” Fernandes said in a press release.

The process is also reversible. By changing experimental conditions, the separated materials can recombine into an alloy and then split multiple times again. This led the team to compare the particles to living systems. “This inspired us to harness their dynamics for catalysis,” Kohlrausch concluded.

Apart from hydrogen production, the new discovery could influence the design of catalysts. These could boost efficient energy conversion, chemical manufacturing, and sustainable industrial applications.

The study has been published in the journal Advanced Materials.

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Scientists in South Korea have unveiled an ultra-stretchable hydrogen electrolyte that can expand up to 900 percent of its original size while staying fully functional at subzero temperatures.

The study came from Sungkyunkwan University’s (SKKU) Department of Chemical Engineering. Led by Sungjune Park, PhD, a professor and soft electronics expert, the team used liquid metal particles to create a new hydrogel electrolyte.

The new material can stretch up to nine times its original length without losing its electrochemical performance. It also remains functional at temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius).

According to the researchers, it could reportedly help power wearable electronics and flexible energy storage devices in harsh climates. “For practical applications, it is essential to ensure long-term stability and reproducibility in large-area manufacturing processes,” the research group pointed out.

A new flexible hydrogel

The growth of wearable and bio-integrated electronics has increased the need for flexible energy storage systems that can withstand bending, stretching, and harsh environmental conditions without losing performance.

Meanwhile, even though conventional hydrogel electrolytes are flexible and boast high ionic conductivity, they often lack mechanical strength. In addition, they also freeze at low temperatures, which limits their practical use.

Тo address the challenge, the SKKU team decided to build a hydrogel electrolyte. The researchers used liquid metal particles (LMPs) as initiators for polymerization, the chemical process used to form the hydrogel network.

The particles combine liquid-like adaptability and metallic properties. This makes them highly versatile for applications like flexible electronics, drug delivery, and soft robotics.

The team then used ultrasonication, a technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to agitate and process materials, and broke the bulk liquid metal into fine particles. These, in turn, initiated the polymerization of acrylamide and acrylic acid to form the hydrogel. The method works without heat, UV light, or other external stimuli, which makes manufacturing easier.

Liquid metal solution

At the same time, the researchers also incorporated stearyl methacrylate (SMA), a hydrophobic material that forms physical crosslinks between polymer chains. These reversible connections can break under stress to absorb energy and then reform once the stress is removed.

This gave the hydrogel exceptional durability and stretchability. Tests revealed it could stretch up to nine times its original length before breaking. It corresponded to an elongation at break of approximately 900 percent.

The researchers then soaked the hydrogel in a lithium chloride solution. This step suppressed hydrogen bonding between water molecules, prevented freezing, and preserved its flexibility.

Consequently, the electrolyte maintained both ionic conductivity and mechanical performance at temperatures of -4 degrees Fahrenheit, unlike traditional hydrogel systems. Moreover, energy storage devices built using the materials retained 98 percent of their performance after 45,000 charge-discharge cycles.

Park highlighted the innovation’s significance. “This work introduces a new design strategy for hydrogel electrolytes based on liquid metal and provides a viable platform for next-generation wearable electronics and flexible energy storage systems operating under extreme conditions,” he concluded in a press release.

The study has been published in the journal Nano-Micro Letters.

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