Aug 12, 2025

New nanocatalyst pushes hydrogen production closer to affordable clean energy

A nickel-cobalt phosphide and silver nanowire nanocatalyst boosts hydrogen output in acidic conditions, paving the way for more durable and cost-effective clean energy.

(Nanowerk News) Scientists at Beijing University of Technology have built a nanocatalyst that could make hydrogen production faster, cheaper, and more durable in acidic environments. The new material, detailed in Frontiers in Energy ("Acid-stable bimetallic phosphide-silver core-shell nanowires with a seamlessly conductive network for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction"), uses nickel-cobalt phosphide wrapped around silver nanowires, forming a conductive “core-shell” structure that boosts the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Structural characterization of the fabricated catalysts. (Image: Higher Education Press)

Producing hydrogen through proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is a vital step toward cleaner energy. The challenge is that many low-cost catalysts lose efficiency or degrade in acidic conditions.

The team’s nanocatalyst addresses this by coating silver nanowires with a bimetallic phosphide layer, creating a continuous, conductive pathway for electrons while exposing a large surface area to the electrolyte. This design speeds up HER and improves efficiency.

In lab tests, the NiCoP@Ag NWs catalyst reached an overpotential of just 109 millivolts at a current density of 10 milliamps per square centimeter — outperforming similar catalysts that needed far higher voltages. It also ran for more than 100 hours in acidic media without losing performance.

The breakthrough could bring large-scale, affordable hydrogen production closer to reality. If scaled up, this technology might shape clean energy policies and accelerate hydrogen’s role as a mainstream fuel.

The researchers plan to fine-tune its properties and test it in other energy systems.

Source: Frontiers in Energy (Note: Content may be edited for style and length)