https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. An international research team from Tohoku University, Tokyo University of Science, Vanderbilt University and the University of Adelaide has discovered a novel, exceptionally simple method to precisely synthesize extremely small iridium nanoclusters in ambient air. Such a feat was previously considered highly challenging. In addition, the nanoclusters outperform conventional, commercially available iridium catalysts by 1.5 times in mass activity, while maintaining sustained operational stability without degradation for more than 20 hours. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-atom-iridium-nanoclusters-stay-stable.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:40:01 EDT news701091602 Why settle for a trial-and-error approach, reviewing an almost endless number of combinations, when you can systematically narrow the list to something more manageable using established data and knowledge? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-options-standout-catalyst-screening-method.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:00:08 EDT news700915802 Applying an external magnetic field during the synthesis of CoFe2O4 electrocatalysts triples the ammonia yield during electrocatalytic conversion. The magnetic field alters the surface states of the spinel oxide thin films, making catalytically active sites more accessible. In the journal Advanced Functional Materials, a team led by Marcel Risch at HZB and Sanjay Mathur at University of Cologne demonstrates a scalable strategy for developing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical production. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-magnetic-field-catalyst-synthesis-triples.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699544081 Discovering new catalysts is one of the central challenges in developing clean-energy technologies such as green hydrogen production. Yet catalyst discovery has traditionally remained confined within individual material families, limiting researchers' ability to transfer knowledge across chemically distinct systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-catalyst-boundaries-uncover-route.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 31 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news699204084 To what extent can self-activating catalysts enhance hydrogen production in electrolyzers? Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have investigated this question, and their findings were published in Advanced Energy Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-catalysts-boost-hydrogen-output-reshaping.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 12 May 2026 15:20:01 EDT news697808561 A computational method combining generative AI with atomistic simulations can identify promising platinum alloy catalyst structures for hydrogen fuel cells, report researchers from Science Tokyo. Their approach addresses a longstanding challenge in catalyst design and consistently produces high-performing candidates from several material combinations. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-smarter-fuel-cell-catalysts-machine.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 11 May 2026 18:10:01 EDT news697738501 Using a renewable energy source has multiple benefits, including reducing harmful emissions and dependence on fossil fuels while increasing efficiency. But many renewable energy sources have a higher cost than fossil fuels due to the materials needed to make them usable, such as platinum group metals (PGMs), and the high cost of storage. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-platinum-free-catalyst-hydrogen-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news695649842 Hydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper and more efficient catalysts. A precise understanding of the electrochemical processes that take place at the interface between the solid catalyst and the liquid medium is highly useful for developing better electrocatalysts. In the journal Nature Communications, a European team has now presented a powerful model that determines charge separation at the interface, the formation of the electric double layer and local electric potential variations, and the resulting influence on the catalytic activity. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-electric-layer-emerges-electrocatalyst-interface.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:20:03 EDT news695561761 A research team led by Professor Jaehoon Kim at Sungkyunkwan University and Dr. Dong Ki Lee at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a highly efficient catalytic process that electrochemically converts lignin, a key component of woody biomass, into value-added aromatic compounds and cyclohexene-based compounds. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-recalcitrant-lignin-bonds-electricity-conversion.html Biochemistry Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:20:07 EDT news693824822 A research team has successfully designed and developed a proprietary non-precious metal oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst featuring a layered structure optimized for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-path-high-efficiency-hydrogen-production.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:20:06 EDT news692371500 Green hydrogen production technology, which utilizes renewable energy to produce eco-friendly hydrogen without carbon emissions, is gaining attention as a core technology for addressing global warming. Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, a process that separates hydrogen and oxygen by applying electrical energy to water, requiring low-cost, high-efficiency, high-performance catalysts. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-atom-power-sides.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:13:10 EST news690815521 Producing clean hydrogen from water is often compared to storing renewable energy in chemical form, but improving the efficiency of that process remains a scientific challenge. Researchers at Tohoku University have now developed a catalyst design that helps hydrogen form more smoothly under alkaline conditions, a key step toward practical green hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cheaper-green-hydrogen-catalyst-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:00:03 EST news690731709 Many technological applications, such as sensors and batteries, greatly rely on electrochemical reactions. Improving these technologies depends on understanding how electrochemical reactions work. However, most current methods cannot look at electrochemical reactions in detail. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanohole-based-microscopy-electrochemical-reactions.html Nanomaterials Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:20:02 EST news690470133 Iridium oxide is one of the most important—and most problematic—materials in the global push toward clean energy. It is currently the most reliable catalyst used in the conversion of energy to chemicals by electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-critical-green-energy-catalyst-dissolve.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:50:45 EST news689608201 A research team led by Dr. Dandan Gao from the Department of Chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has developed a new method for the sustainable production of ammonia and formic acid. Ammonia is indispensable in modern agriculture and, like formic acid, an important industrial feedstock. Conventionally, ammonia is produced using the Haber-Bosch process, which is extremely energy-intensive and causes significant CO₂ emissions. It is also possible to produce ammonia via electrolysis, i.e., using electrical current, but this remains a relatively young field of research. Electrolysis offers a sustainable alternative for production because it can be powered by renewable electricity. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-component-catalyst-boosts-ammonia-nitrate.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:11:21 EST news689602201 Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a method that gives access to the valuable raw materials formate and hydrogen from the waste product glycerol. Formates are the salts of formic acid and are widely used in the chemical industry, while hydrogen can serve, for example, as an energy carrier to power vehicles. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-catalyst-enables-free-production-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 25 Jan 2026 15:50:01 EST news688319028 Catalysts are the invisible engines of hydrogen energy, governing both hydrogen production and electricity generation. Conventional catalysts are typically fabricated in granular particle form, which is easy to synthesize but suffers from inefficient use of precious metals and limited durability. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-hydrogen-energy-flattening-granular-catalysts.html Nanomaterials Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:58:52 EST news688399039 A new type of catalyst that uses five times less platinum than usual could help make hydrogen production more affordable in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-platinum-catalyst-hydrogen-production-cheaper.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:09:24 EST news688230481 Researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute have demonstrated improved and more affordable catalytic materials used to produce green hydrogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-elastic-strain-boosts-green-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 17 Jan 2026 10:10:03 EST news687782766 The production of clean hydrogen through water electrolysis is a promising route toward emission-free and sustainable energy technologies. However, its efficiency is still constrained by the kinetically sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This reaction requires high potential energy input and operates under highly oxidative conditions, which often force a trade-off between catalytic activity and long-term stability. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-semicrystalline-catalyst-stability-electrolytic-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 10 Jan 2026 13:20:02 EST news687172783 Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, but it relies on efficient and stable catalysts that work under acidic conditions—currently dominated by precious metals like iridium and platinum. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-molecular-green-hydrogen-catalyst-function.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:20:04 EST news685718255 Hydrogen fuel could be an important part of the clean energy revolution. But it faces some challenges. Most hydrogen today is made from natural gas using a process called steam methane reforming, which produces lots of carbon dioxide. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-energy-efficient-hydrogen-chromium-coated.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:40:35 EST news684506402 University of Pittsburgh researchers have made an important step toward providing hospitals and water treatment facilities with a safer, greener alternative to chlorine-based disinfection. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-catalyst-insight-safer-demand-ozone.html Biochemistry Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:41:30 EST news684081661 A recent advance in the science of hydrogen fuel production could enable higher output and more sustainable production of this renewable energy source, researchers with Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology report. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-precise-catalyst-boosts-hydrogen-gas.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:28:47 EST news683994482 In hydrogen production catalysts, water droplets must detach easily from the surface to prevent blockage by bubbles, allowing for faster hydrogen generation. In semiconductor manufacturing, the quality of the process is determined by how evenly water or liquid spreads on the surface, or how quickly it dries. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-success-nano-droplets-real-images.html Nanophysics Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:40:33 EST news683977201 Although chromium itself is not an active element, its continuous dissolution enables a reversible surface transformation that keeps the Co-Cr spinel oxide electrocatalyst active and stable. This could significantly improve the efficiency of hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-lifespan-electrocatalysts-chromium-dissolution.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:42:03 EST news682774922 A new type of catalyst—a material that speeds up chemical reactions—that could make the production of clean hydrogen fuel more efficient and long-lasting has been developed by a team led by City University of Hong Kong, including researchers from Hong Kong, mainland China, and Japan. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-catalyst-green-hydrogen-production-efficient.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:33:04 EDT news677428381 The growing global demand for clean energy and rising concerns over climate change have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives. Hydrogen emerges as a promising solution due to its high energy density and zero-carbon emissions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-chloride-resistant-ru-nanocatalysts-sustainable.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:28:04 EDT news677428082 A research team has developed a composite catalyst using the novel material MXene that suppresses the generation of chloride ions—one of the key challenges in seawater electrolysis. This research outcome is expected to accelerate the practical application of seawater electrolysis technology by enabling stable hydrogen production even in seawater. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-mxene-electrode-material-seawater-corrosion.html Nanomaterials Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:10:04 EDT news677235854 Designing a catalyst is incredibly difficult—yet researchers at Tohoku University have successfully created a catalyst that is ranked as one of the best. Their catalyst greatly speeds up the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is a typically slow-paced reaction that desperately needs a boost so that it can be used practically in environmentally friendly technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-tier-high-density-tungsten-atom.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:17:03 EDT news676635421