Researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute have demonstrated improved and more affordable catalytic materials used to produce green hydrogen.

In a study published in ACS Catalysis, intermetallic thin films made from three low-cost alloys: silver and indium (Ag₃In), nickel and iron (Ni₃Fe) and nickel and tin (Ni₃Sn), showed significant gains in catalytic efficiency for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) when subjected to controlled elastic strains.

The findings point to elastic strain engineering as a promising avenue to develop affordable catalysts that could replace platinum-group metals in industrial hydrogen production.