Water to Hydrogen Podcast #2: Jing and Benjamin

Host Theresa welcomes Jing and Benjamin to Science Chatter for an in-depth conversation about catalysts and their stability in next‑generation water electrolysis. The episode spotlights the ambitious Natural Water to Hydrogen Project, where the team investigates how real-world water, not just ultrapure, affects alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers. They explain why green hydrogen matters for the energy transition and how cost-effective nickel, nickel-ironoxide, catalysts power the reactions in alkaline conditions.

This discussion turns to what makes or breaks performance outside ideal lab conditions. Impurities such as chloride and organics may from membrane degradation can adsorb on catalyst surfaces, affect active sites.

To disentangle these effects, the researchers combine long‑term electrochemical testing with advanced characterization like quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements to quantify adsorption. Running controlled studies in a flow cell, they map operating sweet spots where performance remains robust even in the presence of challenging waterborne compounds. Insights then cycle through the project’s interdisciplinary collaboration—from membrane specialists to catalyst preparation and scale‑up teams—accelerating progress toward durable, impurity‑tolerant AEM electrolyzers.

If you’re curious about how fundamental surface chemistry meets real‑world renewable hydrogen deployment, this episode offers a clear view of the science, the challenges, and the collaborative pathways that turn lab breakthroughs into resilient electrolyzer technologies.