Multimaterial High-Entropy Anodes for Green Hydrogen

Objetivo

Affordable green hydrogen requires durable electrolyzer materials that avoid scarce precious metals such as iridium.

HEA-H2 addresses this challenge by establishing a multilayer anode technology based on high-entropy oxide (HEO) materials, recently disclosed in a patent application. The invention integrates these new catalyst materials into engineered multilayer electrode architectures that substantially improve the oxygen evolution reaction, the main efficiency bottleneck in water electrolysis. Preliminary studies on model systems demonstrate order-of-magnitude enhanced catalytic activity at the same applied potential, but the concept has not yet been translated to practical electrodes nor validated under realistic electrolyzer conditions.

This ERC PoC project will develop scalable synthesis routes for multilayer HEO electrodes on porous metal substrates guided by industrial needs and validate their performance in alkaline membrane electrolyzer cells. The goal is to achieve cell voltages below 1.7 V at 1 A cm⁻² with degradation rates below 1 µV h⁻¹, corresponding to roughly 20% lower electricity consumption and orders-of-magnitude improved durability compared with current state-of-the-art NiFe or IrO2 anodes.

By demonstrating high activity, durability, and manufacturability, HEA-H2 will de-risk the technology and prepare commercialization pathways with industrial partners. These improvements could translate into ~15% lower hydrogen production costs, enabling more competitive green hydrogen for end users in sectors such as steel production, fertilizer synthesis, chemical manufacturing, and heavy-duty transport. Successful validation would therefore support the large-scale deployment of affordable green hydrogen and accelerate the transition toward climate-neutral energy, fuels, agricultural feedstocks, and industrial production.