SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - A team of researchers in South Korea has developed a new structural design for water electrolysis systems that prevents gas bubbles from obstructing energy flow, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Thursday.
The research team, which includes scientists from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), and Konkuk University, redesigned the internal pathways of the catalyst layer. Using two-dimensional mesoporous carbon nanosheets, they created straight channels that allow water and gases to pass through rapidly. This prevents the traditional problem of bubbles accumulating inside the device and obstructing the chemical reaction.
The researchers attached ultrafine ruthenium nanoclusters to the carbon surface to accelerate the hydrogen generation rate and protect the catalyst from damage over time. Testing showed the system reached a current density of 17.1 amperes per square centimeter at 80 degrees Celsius, exceeding the 2026 targets established by the United States Department of Energy. The device maintained stable operation for more than 1,000 hours using 0.09 milligrams of ruthenium per square centimeter, demonstrating high performance with a significantly reduced amount of the expensive noble metal.
Water electrolysis is widely considered an essential technology for the transition to carbon neutrality, but high production costs and system inefficiencies have slowed its commercial adoption. By modifying how materials flow through the system rather than just changing the active catalyst material, the new design offers a method to make large-scale green hydrogen production more economically viable. The study, led by first authors Byun Jae-ho and Ban Min-kyung, was published online in the journal Joule on May 22, 2026.
"This research is a technology that increases water electrolysis efficiency by designing not only the catalyst itself but also the path through which energy flows," Professor Lee Jin-woo of KAIST said. "We expect it to advance the commercialization of eco-friendly hydrogen production in the future as high-efficiency green hydrogen production is possible with only a small amount of noble metals."
(Reference Information)
Journal/Source: Joule
Title: Outperforming water electrolysis through catalyst layer structuring with defective 2D mesoporous carbon
Link/DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2026.102478
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