NZ Award Supports Development of More Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Production

29 January 2007

A Massey University (NZ) scientist has received a NZ$260,000 (US$181,000) post-doctoral fellowship from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to develop highly active electrocatalysts for more efficient electrolytic production of hydrogen at low voltages.

The award will support a three-year study by Dr Aaron Marshall, a researcher in the Institute of Technology and Engineering at the University.

Dr Marshall developed chemical processes to produce nano-sized catalytic materials as a PhD student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway. In May 2006 he was awarded the Exxon Mobil Prize for his doctoral research and returned to Massey to take up a post-doctoral position.

His earlier work focused on the development of iridium-oxide-based nanocrystalline particles for use as the anode in a PEM water electrolyzer.

Resources:

• “Hydrogen production by advanced proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers—Reduced energy consumption by improved electrocatalysis”; A. Marshall, B. Børresena, G. Hagenmaltese, M. Tsypkina and R. Tunolda; Energy Volume 32, Issue 4 , April 2007, Pages 431-436

• “Iridium oxide-based nanocrystalline particles as oxygen evolution electrocatalysts”; A. Marshall, B. Børresen, G. Hagen, S. Sunde, M. Tsypkin and R. Tunold; Russian Journal of Electrochemistry, Volume 42, Number 10 / October, 2006 DOI 10.1134/S1023193506100223 Pages 1134-1140