A Catalyst Regeneration Strategy Sustains Hydrogen Production From Ammonia for More Than 2,000 Hours: Activity More Than 10 Times a Commercial Catalyst, in Nature Synthesis
Researchers at the National University of Singapore reported in Nature Synthesis a catalyst-regeneration strategy that sustained electrochemical ammonia cracking for hydrogen production for more than 2,000 hours in laboratory tests. Ammonia is a promising way to store and transport hydrogen, and electrochemical cracking uses electricity to convert ammonia into nitrogen and hydrogen, but platinum-based catalysts gradually lose effectiveness as their surfaces oxidize and become blocked by nitrogen.
The team, led by Professor Chen Wei of the NUS Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry, with Assistant Professor Ou Pengfei of NUS Chemistry and Professor Fan Lei of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, built a catalyst called Pt/Fe-NC, comprising platinum nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon containing atomically dispersed iron sites. The study said electron transfer from the support suppresses platinum oxidation and accelerates the rate-determining dehydrogenation step, while the iron-nitrogen sites promote water dissociation and help clear poisoning nitrogen species from the platinum surface. Under the tested conditions, the new catalyst showed more than 10 times the ammonia oxidation activity of a commercially available platinum-on-carbon catalyst. The paper, by Rui Jiang and co-authors, carries digital object identifier 10.1038/s44160-026-01201-6.
To extend operating life, the team combined periodic reversal of the electrical current with occasional acid washing and ammonia replenishment. Using this strategy, hydrogen production was sustained for over 2,000 hours at a low electrical current and for 500 hours at a substantially higher current, with both tests conducted at 80 degrees Celsius. Team member Jiang Rui said the water-assisted regeneration approach helps prevent nitrogen from blocking the platinum surface, allowing the catalyst to remain active for longer. The researchers noted that further research is needed to evaluate the technology at larger scales.
Source: National University of Singapore
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 新加坡国立大学肯特岗校区。／The Kent Ridge Campus of the National University of Singapore.（Joshua Rommel Hayag Vargas，CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons）
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