Iridium Usage in PEM Electrolyzers Drops by 70%, Yongqing Team's New-Type Catalyst Ushers in a New Era of Cost Reduction in Hydrogen Production [SMM Analysis]

SMM, May 30, 2025 News,

Recently, SMM has learned that there has been a new breakthrough in hydrogen energy technology: the amount of iridium used in PEM electrolyzers has been directly reduced by 70%, and the new catalyst developed by the Hydrogen Surge team has ushered in a new era of cost reduction in hydrogen production!

The hydrogen energy market has broad prospects, with a market size in the trillions.Relevant data shows that it is expected to exceed US$200 billion in 2025. Among them, the hydrogen production market size is as high as US$120 billion.

The global hydrogen production industry is facing the challenge of "excessively high costs for large-scale production"—the high cost of the precious metal iridium in PEM electrolyzers restricts large-scale development.

Recently, the Hydrogen Surge team has successfully launched a "supported catalyst" solution.

It reduces the iridium usage from the industry standard of 1.0 mg/cm² to 0.3 mg/cm².

It achieves a 70% cost reduction while maintaining high performance of 3 A/cm² @ 1.84 V, clearing a key obstacle for the commercialization of PEM hydrogen production.

Team Background: Oxford Genetics + Accelerated Industrialization by JITRI

Hydrogen Surge technology originated from the collaborative research between Professor Mauro Pasta of the University of Oxford and the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI IMPACT) in 2020, focusing on cost reduction through single-atom catalysis.

In 2023, the team shifted to a more industrializable "supported catalyst" approach:

Replacing the "inactive core" in iridium agglomerates with inexpensive carriers (such as titanium dioxide), retaining only the surface-active iridium.

In the same year, it secured tens of millions of yuan in financing. In 2024, it built a pilot R&D platform relying on JITRI New Materials R&D Co., Ltd.

In 2025, it passed verification by leading producers, with performance on par with international leading levels. It has also been validated by the market.

Technological Breakthrough: Reducing Internal Inefficiency by Transforming Solid "Iridium Balls" into Hollow "Iridium Shells"

Traditional Pain Points:

67% of the internal atoms in iridium agglomerates do not participate in reactions, akin to a "solid iridium" ball where only the outer shell is useful.

In 2025, the price of metallic iridium was 1,100,000 CNY/kg.

Innovative Solution:

By replacing the core with non-iridium carriers, the iridium utilization rate has been increased from 30% to over 90%.

The iridium usage per unit area is only 0.3 mg/cm².

Actual Test Data:At a current density of 3 A/cm², the voltage is 1.84 V, with a decay rate of 5.7 μV/h.

Industry Significance: May Reshape the PEM Technology Path

Currently, PEM electrolyzers remain expensive due to the scarcity of iridium (global annual production of 7 mt).

If Hydrogen Surge technology is mass-produced, it could enable PEM to compete with alkaline electrolyzers in megawatt-scale projects, particularly suitable for fluctuating power supply scenarios such as wind and solar power hydrogen production.

Cooperation Invitation

Currently, we are offering sample testing for 25cm² membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs).

In the second phase (Q3 2025), we will offer customized MEA samples with a maximum size of 1500cm².

We welcome inquiries from industry chain partners:

Contact Person: Dr. Wang

| Phone/WeChat: HydrogenSolutions

| Email: market@h2sol.cn

If you are interested in the hydrogen energy industry, feel free to inquire! Contact: Chang Xinyu, 021-20707851