Catalyst Powder Particularly Suitable for Producing an Anode Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis, and Method for Producing Such a Catalyst Powder

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The invention relates to a novel catalyst powder, specifically designed for use as an anode catalyst in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) for hydrogen production. The catalyst features core-shell structured particles: the core is made of a semiconductive material (such as titanium oxide), and it is completely covered by a shell layer containing iridium and/or iridium oxide. This design reduces the overall iridium content while maintaining high catalytic activity and electrical conductivity. The invention also describes an efficient method to synthesize such catalyst particles via photodeposition.

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• Manufacturing of efficient anode catalysts for PEM water electrolyzers in hydrogen production plants.
• Development of low-iridium catalysts for large-scale, cost-effective green hydrogen generation.
• Use in electrochemical cells where oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are required.
• Integration into commercial PEMWE stacks to reduce precious metal usage and cost per unit of hydrogen produced.
• Potential application in research and industrial labs focused on sustainable energy conversion technologies.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly reduces iridium usage while maintaining or enhancing catalytic performance, addressing the scarcity and high cost of iridium.
• Enables the production of thicker catalyst layers at low iridium loadings, minimizing energy losses and improving electrode durability.
• Provides a method for homogeneous, conductive catalyst coatings, improving the utilization of expensive active materials.
• The synthesis process is adaptable for different core materials or metal shell combinations, enhancing flexibility for various applications.
• Helps lower the overall cost of hydrogen production by decreasing precious metal dependency, facilitating wider adoption of clean energy technologies.

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Patent Abstract

The present invention relates to a catalyst powder suitable for production of an anode catalyst for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis, having catalyst particles (1) having a core (2) of a semiconductive material, and a catalyst shell layer (3) that fully covers the core and comprises iridium and/or iridium oxide.