To address climate change and environmental pollution, clean hydrogen production technologies are gaining attention. In particular, water electrolysis is considered a promising technology that can produce hydrogen without carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but there is a problem of reduced energy efficiency due to high operating voltage.
Chemical water-assisted electrolysis is emerging as a promising solution to address these challenges. This technology produces hydrogen at low voltage by substituting the water oxidation reaction (OER) with various chemical oxidation reactions, such as ammonia, alcohol, urea, and hydrazine. Moreover, it offers the potential to simultaneously enhance energy production and promote environmental improvement by generating high-value products or eliminating pollutants. A team of researchers introduced various chemical water-assisted electrolysis systems in this study and systematically analyzed the latest catalyst design strategies to address the high overpotential issues of each reaction. Their work was published on February 24, 2025, in Industrial Chemistry & Materials .
"Chemical water-assisted electrolysis technology represents an innovative approach to overcoming the limitations of conventional water electrolysis, enabling clean hydrogen production with enhanced energy efficiency," said Ho Won Jang, a Professor at Seoul National University. "This study systematically compiles the latest catalyst design strategies and demonstrates their potential for improving the energy efficiency of various chemical water-assisted electrolysis reactions."
However, there are still many technical challenges for chemical water-assisted electrolysis to replace conventional water electrolysis. Key issues include maintaining catalyst durability and achieving low-voltage operation, which is being actively addressed through electrochemical reaction mechanism studies and AI-driven catalyst design.
For industrial applications, high current density (A cm-2) and long-term stability (>10,000 hours) are required. Recently, researchers have been working on membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is a direct assembly of anode, membrane, and cathode, to reduce electrical resistance and mass transfer losses while achieving high current density. Additionally, fuel cell-type devices that operate under high-temperature conditions for high performance are also being developed, along with efforts to develop self-powered hydrogen production systems.
"The main goal of this review is to quickly and accurately provide readers with the latest research trends and catalyst design strategies in this field, and to outline a comprehensive blueprint for industrial applications," Jang said.
The research team includes Jiwoo Lee, Sol A Lee, Tae Hyung Lee, and Ho Won Jang from Seoul National University in South Korea.
This research is funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (RS-2024-00405016 and RS-2024-00421181).
Industrial Chemistry & Materials is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) with APCs currently waived. ICM publishes significant innovative research and major technological breakthroughs in all aspects of industrial chemistry and materials, especially the important innovation of the low-carbon chemical industry, energy, and functional materials. Check out the latest ICM news on the blog .
