Platinum and Green Hydrogen Explained
Hydrogen is a clean fuel that can power cars, homes, and factories without pollution. When used in fuel cells, it mixes with oxygen to make electricity and only water as waste. But making and using hydrogen needs help from special materials like platinum. Green hydrogen is the cleanest kind, made using renewable energy like wind or solar power.https://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/pem-electrolyzer-technology/
What is green hydrogen? Most hydrogen today comes from natural gas in a process called steam methane reforming. This makes gray hydrogen, which creates carbon dioxide pollution. Green hydrogen changes that. It uses electricity from clean sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. No fossil fuels are involved, so it is truly green.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_productionhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04734
Enter platinum. This rare, shiny metal is the best catalyst for handling hydrogen. A catalyst speeds up reactions without getting used up. In electrolysis machines called PEM electrolyzers, platinum sits on the cathode side. There, hydrogen ions grab electrons and form hydrogen gas bubbles. The process works like this: electricity pushes protons through a special membrane, and platinum helps them turn into H2 gas.https://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/pem-electrolyzer-technology/https://discoveryalert.com.au/pgm-catalyzed-water-splitting-mechanisms-2025/
Platinum shines in fuel cells too. These devices do the opposite of electrolysis. They take hydrogen gas and oxygen to make electricity. Platinum helps break apart hydrogen atoms so electrons can flow and power things. Tiny platinum nanoparticles, under 2 nanometers wide, work best. They form surface hydrides that boost speed and stability during reactions.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65122-2
Why platinum? It grabs hydrogen just right, not too weak or too strong. This balance makes reactions fast and efficient. Scientists make platinum catalysts by mixing it with carbon, annealing at high heat, and controlling particle size. Smaller particles mean more surface area for action.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65122-2
The big catch is cost. Platinum is expensive and rare. It also wears out over time in harsh conditions. This slows green hydrogen growth. Researchers hunt for replacements like high-entropy alloys or cheaper metals. AI helps predict new mixes that mimic platinum’s power without the price tag.https://energyinstitute.jhu.edu/the-platinum-problem/https://www.renewableinstitute.org/new-research-could-lead-to-super-green-hydrogen/
Green hydrogen with better catalysts could store extra renewable energy and cut emissions worldwide. Platinum leads the way now, but smart tweaks make it last longer and work harder.
Sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65122-2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production
https://discoveryalert.com.au/pgm-catalyzed-water-splitting-mechanisms-2025/
https://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/pem-electrolyzer-technology/
https://energyinstitute.jhu.edu/the-platinum-problem/
https://www.renewableinstitute.org/new-research-could-lead-to-super-green-hydrogen/
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04734