New study identifies the impurity behind green hydrogen's power-cycling problem
Chemists have identified that trace iron impurities are responsible for the degradation of alkaline water electrolyzers during power interruptions. This discovery offers a potential engineering pathway to make green hydrogen production more resilient to intermittent renewable energy sources.
Why it matters
Solving the stability issues of electrolyzers is a key technical hurdle in scaling up affordable green hydrogen production.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers led by University of Oregon chemist Paul Kempler have identified dissolved iron impurities as the key factor controlling the degradation of alkaline water electrolyzers during power interruptions—a finding that could point toward a fix for one of green hydrogen's persistent engineering challenges. The paper will be published Sept. 9 in Chem Catalysis .
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