Affordable Electrodes for Green Hydrogen Production: Structure and Function

Research question

This project will answer the following research questions. How does the anode electrode destabilize during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER)? What is the electrode surface composition and structure during the OER? Which are the active sites at the electrode surface promoting OER?

This proposal aims at increasing the understanding of the stability and efficiency of electrodes of different materials during the electrolysis of water into green hydrogen. This will be done using Ni base alloy electrodes under operating conditions using advanced surface sensitive synchrotron methods at MAX IV and the Swedish beamline P21 at PETRAII combined with electrochemical methods. The proposed fundamental science is well aligned with the profile area “Light and Materials” at Lund University.

Sustainability aspects

• An increased understanding of the electrochemical catalytic processes at an electrode surface during OER will promote the intelligent design of more stable, cheaper and efficient anode materials for green hydrogen production.
• A deeper understanding of the stability of electrodes for the intelligent design of cheaper and more efficient electrode materials, would lead to more efficient energy storage in green hydrogen for later use in fuel cells and other applications.
• The proposed research also has implications for other fields such as corrosion of industrial alloys, and better corrosion protection enabled by fundamental research would lead to a decrease of material waste and mining operations, resulting in a more sustainable society.