Iridium Usage in PEM Electrolyzers Drops by 70%

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 dropped by 70%, and the new-type catalyst developed by the Yongqing Hydrogen 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 of yuan. Relevant data shows that it is expected to exceed US$200 billion by 2025. Among them, the market size for hydrogen production 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 amount of iridium used from the industry standard of 1.0 mg/cm² to 0.3 mg/cm²;
cutting costs by 70% 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 + Jicui Industrialisation Acceleration

Hydrogen surge technology originated from collaborative research in 2020 between Professor Mauro Pasta of Oxford University and Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI IMPACT), focusing on cost reduction through single-atom catalysis.
In 2023, the team shifted to a more industrialisation-friendly "supported catalyst" approach:
Replacing the "inactive core" in iridium clusters with low-cost carriers (such as titanium dioxide), retaining only the surface-active iridium.
The same year, the team secured tens of millions of yuan in funding. In 2024, a pilot-scale R&D platform was established under JITRI Advanced Materials R&D Co., Ltd.
By 2025, the technology passed validation by leading producers, achieving performance comparable to international benchmarks. It has also gained market validation.

Technological Breakthrough: Transition from Solid "Iridium Ball" to Hollow "Iridium Shell" Reduces Internal Inefficient Losses.
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.
Price of metallic iridium in 2025: 1,100,000 CNY/kg
Innovative Solution:
By replacing the core with a non-iridium carrier, the utilization rate of iridium increases from 30% to over 90%.
The amount of iridium used 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: Potential Reshaping of PEM Technology Pathway
Currently, the high cost of PEM electrolyzers is attributed to the scarcity of iridium (with a global annual production of 7 mt), leading to elevated prices.
If Yongqing Technology achieves mass production, it could enable PEM to compete with alkaline electrolyzers in megawatt-scale projects, particularly in scenarios involving fluctuating power supplies such as hydrogen production from wind and solar power.

Cooperation Invitation
Currently, we are offering 25cm² membrane electrode samples for testing.
In the second phase (Q3 2025), we will offer customized membrane electrode 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 Information: Chang Xinyu, 021-20707851