University of Tennessee Research Foundation

Technology Transfer & Licensing

Efficient Nanocatalyst for Hydrogen Gas Production from Water Splitting

The Problem

The efficiency and large-scale industrialization of the water splitting reaction is limited by the sluggish kinetics of the four electron-proton transfer process involved in oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Precious metal oxide electrocatalysts have been used to reduce the overpotential required for the OER due to their high catalytic activity, but their scarcity, high cost and instability present major drawbacks. Cerium oxides are a cheaper alternative but are not as efficient.​

The Solution

Researchers at the University of Tennessee have synthesized a novel, compositionally complex, cerate-based fluorite and rare-earth (RE) cation nanocatalyst. These catalysts have been shown to display high catalytic activity and stability in an alkaline media for the OER and CO2 reduction reactions. These RE-cerium oxides have higher turnover frequency than existing cerium oxide catalysts, meaning more hydrogen gas product can be gained from the water splitting redox reactions. The RE-cerium oxides also reduce the overpotential energy required for the OER to progress, making the reaction more efficient. ​

Catalytic activity measured by turnover frequency (left) and overpotential (right)

Catalytic activity measured by turnover frequency
RE-cerium oxides exhibited a higher turnover frequency (TOF) than cerium oxide alone, meaning more hydrogen gas was produced per second while the RE catalysts were in the active site.

Catalytic activity measured by overpotential
RE-cerium oxides exhibited lower overpotential than other cerium oxide catalysts, meaning less energy is required for the reaction to proceed.​

Benefits

Benefit
Less expensive than precious metal catalysts due to increased abundance
Improved catalytic rate compared to existing cerium oxide catalysts
Cerium is mechanically stable and corrosion resistant in alkaline environments

More Information

  • UTRF Reference ID: 23141
  • Patent Status: Patent Pending

Innovators

Katharine Page

Katharine Page

Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering​, UT Knoxville

Dr. Page received her PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests include new insights into complex functional materials (both bulk and nano) through advances in structural characterization, ferroelectric oxides, energy conversion materials, and nanoscale catalysts. ​

Read more about Katharine Page

Sreya Paladugu

Sreya Paladugu

Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Materials Science and Engineering​, UT Knoxville

Dr. Paladugu received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from UT in 2023. Her PhD thesis was on Probing the Structure-Property Relationships of Metal Oxide Nanocatalysts. ​

Read more about Sreya Paladugu