Toshiba has created a large-scale electrode production technique that increases power-to-gas (P2G) efficiency for the generation of green or renewable hydrogen while consuming 90% less iridium.

P2G employs water electrolysis to transform renewable electricity into renewable hydrogen, which is thought by many to be a crucial step toward attaining carbon neutrality since it can help store and transport green power and bring it into areas that cannot be directly electrified.

One of the most promising conversion processes is polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis. However, the catalyst in PEM’s P2G electrodes is iridium. Iridium, one of the rarest traded precious metals, is produced globally just seven to ten tonnes annually and is priced four to five times higher than platinum.

The amount of iridium needed was cut in half thanks to a laminated catalyst made of iridium oxide nanosheets that Toshiba developed in 2017. A large-scale production method that deposits the catalyst over a maximum area of five square meters at a time has now been created by the multinational.

Toshiba hopes to market the technology in the 2023 fiscal year and believes the innovation will hasten the commercialization of P2G for large-scale power conversion.