October 14th 2026
Nickel catalyst shows a different surface than assumed for decades
If we want to use hydrogen as a climate-neutral energy carrier, we need plants that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This electrolysis is a key technology of the energy transition. The catch: it consumes a lot of energy. The more efficient it becomes, the cheaper and more climate-friendly the hydrogen will be.
A research team led by Timo Jacob, HIU research group leader and head of the Institute of Electrochemistry at Ulm University, has now found that the active surface of nickel electrodes in water electrolysis does not consist of nickel oxyhydroxide, as had been assumed for decades, but of hydrogen-free nickel dioxide. With this finding, the study provides a new foundation for cheaper and more efficient electrolyzers. In addition, the researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm discovered that certain measurement signals, which were previously regarded as reaction intermediates, are in fact overtones, which means that earlier data must also be reinterpreted.
Original Publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-026-01613-9
Photo: (from left to right) Justus Leist, PD Dr. Albert Engstfeld, Prof. Timo Jacob (photography: Julia Bord / Uni Ulm)