HyESpark-Hybrid electrospray-spark ablation system for high-performance membrane electrode assemblies (MEA)

Global energy demand is undergoing a critical transition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is essential for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, ammonia, plastics, and cement, yet most hydrogen production still relies on fossil fuels. Green hydrogen produced through water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity offers a sustainable alternative, generating hydrogen with only oxygen as a by-product. Among available technologies, Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) is the most efficient commercial system due to its high current density, rapid response, and compact design. However, large-scale PEMWE deployment is limited by scarce precious metals, particularly iridium and platinum, which catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Current systems require 2–5 mg Ir/cm², while global iridium production is only a few tonnes per year, creating a major bottleneck for scaling electrolyzer technologies. Achieving future hydrogen deployment targets therefore requires reducing iridium loading by more than 90%, which challenges conventional catalyst-coating techniques. In addition to catalyst particles, the catalyst layer requires a proton-conducting ionomer, typically Nafion, to enable proton transport and bind the catalyst layer to the membrane. Achieving a uniform distribution of both catalyst nanoparticles and ionomer remains difficult using traditional wet-ink coating methods. To address this limitation, HyESPark explores a hybrid deposition approach integrating spark ablation nanoparticle generation from VSParticle with electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) expertise from NHL Stenden. Combining both processes can enable controlled co-deposition of metal nanoparticles and Nafion droplets, forming uniform, porous catalyst layers with reduced precious-metal loading for high-performance PEMWE electrodes. If successful, HyESpark will advance next-generation electrolyzer electrode design and improve the efficiency of PEM electrolysis for green hydrogen production.