TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A team from National Cheng Kung University in Tainan has developed a new corrosion-resistant material that improves hydrogen production through seawater electrolysis, significantly overcoming key challenges in the process, UDN reported.
Hydrogen is a clean energy source and a crucial industrial raw material that helps reduce carbon emissions, NCKU said. Seawater electrolysis could expand hydrogen supply sources, but salt and chloride ions in seawater can severely corrode electrodes, posing a key technical challenge.
To address this, Ting Jyh-ming (丁志明), a professor in NCKU’s Materials Science and Engineering Department, said the team used a water electrolysis system with a special membrane to conduct tests under seawater conditions. The technology has been published in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials and is being developed in collaboration with industry partners.
The material, developed with support from the National Science and Technology Council, can operate for more than 2,000 hours at high current density, enabling stable hydrogen production. The team has also developed a multi-cell stack design that can produce hydrogen even at low current density. The technology has been patented.
Ting said producing hydrogen via solar-powered freshwater electrolysis is more environmentally friendly than using natural gas. However, he noted the process is costly, requires large amounts of high-purity freshwater, and faces challenges including explosion risks and storage difficulties.
The technology is expected to expand the use of hydrogen, including in hydrogen-powered vehicles and fuel cells, Ting said. In December, CPC and Linde LienHwa Industrial Gases began operating Taiwan’s first hydrogen refueling station in Kaohsiung, a move aimed at boosting hydrogen adoption.
The government has listed hydrogen energy as a key strategy for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. It aims to produce 40% of hydrogen domestically and import the remaining by that year.
Since November, National Central University has partnered with Germany’s Julich Research Centre to establish a hydrogen energy research center. The facility focuses on hydrogen production via water electrolysis, hydrogen fuel cell materials, and smart grid technologies.
