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Breaking Down Barriers: Groundbreaking Recycling Technique Turns ‘Forever Chemicals’ into Renewable Resources

In a major breakthrough, researchers at the University of Leicester have developed a revolutionary technique to efficiently separate valuable catalyst materials and fluorinated polymer membranes (PFAS) from catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs). This achievement has significant implications for preventing potentially harmful chemicals from contaminating our environment.

PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” are known to contaminate drinking water and have serious health implications. The Royal Society of Chemistry has urged government intervention to reduce PFAS levels in UK water supplies.

Fuel cells and water electrolysers, essential components of hydrogen-powered energy systems, rely on CCMs containing precious platinum group metals. However, the strong adhesion between catalyst layers and PFAS membranes has made recycling difficult.

The researchers’ innovative method uses organic solvent soaking and water ultrasonication to effectively separate these materials, revolutionizing the recycling process. Dr. Jake Yang from the University of Leicester School of Chemistry comments, “This method is simple and scalable. We can now separate PFAS membranes from precious metals without harsh chemicals – revolutionizing how we recycle fuel cells.”

Building on this success, a follow-up study introduced a continuous delamination process using high-frequency ultrasound to split the membranes, accelerating recycling. The innovative process creates bubbles that collapse when subjected to high pressure, allowing the precious catalysts to be separated in seconds at room temperature.

This groundbreaking research was carried out in collaboration with Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies. Industry-academia partnerships like this underscore the importance of collective efforts in driving technological progress.

Ross Gordon, Principal Research Scientist at Johnson Matthey, says, “The development of high-intensity ultrasound to separate catalyst-loaded membranes is a game-changer in how we approach fuel cell recycling. At Johnson Matthey, we are proud to collaborate on pioneering solutions that accelerate the adoption of hydrogen-powered energy while making it more sustainable and economically viable.”

As fuel cell demand continues to grow, this breakthrough contributes to the circular economy by enabling efficient recycling of essential clean energy components. The researchers’ efforts support a greener and more affordable future for fuel cell technology while addressing pressing environmental challenges.

The world is on the cusp of a revolution in hydrogen fuel production. Researchers at Tohoku University have made a groundbreaking discovery that could finally bridge the gap between laboratory experiments and large-scale commercial production. The breakthrough involves a surface reconstruction strategy that utilizes non-noble metal-based cathodes to accelerate the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

The HER is a crucial process for creating clean hydrogen fuel, which has the potential to alleviate our climate change crisis. However, scaling up this reaction from lab to factory has been a daunting challenge due to its inefficiency and slowness. The researchers’ findings, published in Advanced Energy Materials on April 3, 2025, offer a promising solution.

By examining transition metal phosphides (TMPs), the research team discovered that adding fluorine (F) to the CoP lattice allows for P-vacancy sites to form on the surface. This leads to an increase in active sites, which speed up the HER reaction. The resulting F modified CoP cathode demonstrated exceptional performance, maintaining approximately 76 W for over 300 hours.

“This is a significant advancement in HER catalyst research,” says Heng Liu from the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR). “Our calculated cost of using this method is just $2.17 per kgH2-1 – mere cents over the current production target set for 2026.”

The researchers’ experiment extended beyond lab-scale testing, applying their findings to commercial-scale PEM electrolyzers. This breakthrough has far-reaching implications for the rational design of non-noble metal-based cathodes.

“We’re always thinking about the end goal, which is for research to make its way into everyday life,” says Liu. “This advancement brings us one step closer to designing more realistic options for commercial PEM application.”

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Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize the production of green hydrogen, a crucial component for a sustainable energy future. Researchers have found that a cage-structured material, previously unknown as an electrocatalyst, can outperform existing nickel-based catalysts in electrolytic hydrogen production. This breakthrough has significant implications for the chemical industry and our transition to renewable energy sources.

The study, published in Angewandte Chemie, investigates the suitability of clathrates – materials characterized by a complex three-dimensional cage structure – as catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrolysis. Clathrates have shown promise in various applications, such as thermoelectrics and superconductors, but their potential as electrocatalysts has remained unexplored until now.

Dr. Prashanth Menezes and his team at the Technical University of Munich synthesized Ba₈Ni₆Ge₄₀ clathrates, which they then tested as OER catalysts in aqueous electrolytes. The results were astonishing: the clathrate sample exceeded the efficiency of nickel-based catalysts at a current density of 550 mA cm⁻², a value commonly used in industrial electrolysis. Moreover, its stability was remarkable, with activity remaining high even after 10 days of continuous operation.

To understand why this material performed so well, the researchers employed a combination of experiments, including in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at BESSY II and basic structural characterization at the Freie and Technische Universität Berlin. Their analysis revealed that the clathrate particles undergo a structural transformation under an electric field: germanium and barium atoms dissolve out of the former three-dimensional framework, leaving behind highly porous, sponge-like nanolayers of nickel that offer maximum surface area.

“This transformation brings more and more catalytically active nickel centres into contact with the electrolyte,” says Dr. Niklas Hausmann from Menezes’ team. “We were actually surprised by how well these samples work as OER catalysts. We expect that we can observe similar results with other transition metal clathrates and that we have discovered a very interesting class of materials for electrocatalysts.”

This breakthrough has significant implications for the production of green hydrogen, which is seen as an essential building block for a sustainable energy future. With this new material, researchers may be able to develop more efficient and robust OER catalysts, enabling faster and more cost-effective production of green hydrogen.