Naco Technologies launches a research project on #nanostructured catalytic coatings within the
Smart Materials Competence Centre (VMKC). The project runs from 01.10.2024 to 31.09.2026.
In order to expand its product range, Naco is focusing on the research of catalytic coatings with
the aim of increasing the efficiency of catalysts and reducing product cost by reducing the
amount of catalyst materials used.
The most widely used technology for #hydrogen production is alkaline electrolysis, with about
70% of all installed electrolyzer systems being #alkaline electrolyzers. Although this technology
has been around for more than a century, there is still room for improvement. One of the areas of improvement relates to the relatively low current density. The higher the current density of an
electrolyzer, the greater its efficiency. It is possible to increase the current density by increasing
the amount of catalytic material involved. The industry is currently actively looking for solutions
to increase the amount of catalytic materials without increasing the overall size and weight of the systems.
The catalytic material is involved in promoting chemical reactions, for example water splitting,
reactions that take place at the atomic and molecular level, therefore surface area of the catalyst
is very important. More precisely, the active sites of the catalyst where reactant molecules can be adsorbed and chemical reactions can take place. As the surface area of the catalyst increases, its ability to promote chemical reactions becomes more efficient. For this reason, catalysts are nowadays no longer made of macroscopic materials but are made of microscopic material structures.
In the framework of this project, #NACO Technologies will use magnetron sputtering to form
nano-structured metal coatings and test them in an alkaline electrolyzer environment. The
successful implementation of the project will add to NACO Technologies' product portfolio for
green hydrogen production.
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