100 hours of stability: New hydrogen catalyst uses ‘hidden oxygen’ to ditch precious metals

South Korean researchers developed sub-2-nanometer cobalt oxide catalysts for water electrolysis without iridium or ruthenium.

By tuning metal-oxygen bonds, the catalyst activates lattice oxygen to boost oxygen evolution performance and durability.

The material also showed stable zinc-air battery operation, pointing to broader clean-energy use.

The advance could help cut the cost of green hydrogen and reduce reliance on scarce precious metals.