Hydrogen Production Technologies Research Articles

S-scheme NaxCoO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction photo-electrocatalysts for water splitting

Enabling a highly efficient charge separation on hetero-structural photo-electrocatalyst is crucial to achieve a high efficiency of water splitting technology for sustainable green hydrogen production. Herein, novel S-scheme hetero-structural materials, NaxCoO2/g-C3N4 (x = 0.5, 0.6, and 0.74), have been employed as photo-electrocatalysts for water splitting reaction. Their corresponding overpotential values under irradiation condition with the current density of 10 mA cm−2 were about 590 mV (x = 0.74), 555 mV (x = 0.6) and 710 mV (x = 0.5), respectively. Compared to the dark condition, NaxCoO2/g-C3N4 exhibited lower overpotentials. XPS and in-situ KPFM results further confirmed that an interfacial electric field was formed at the interface of NaxCoO2 and g-C3N4. Under the irradiation condition, the electrons from the conduction band of NCO flow toward to the valence band of CN to form S-scheme heterostructure, which could highly accelerate the reducing capability of CN, hence splitting water to produce hydrogen gas.

Preparation of Ir/TiO2 Composite Oxygen Evolution Catalyst and Load Analysis as Anode Catalyst Layer of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer.

Electrochemical water splitting is regarded as an emerging green and sustainable hydrogen production technology because of its zero-carbon process. However, the overall cost of anode materials in a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) is high due to the use of noble metal Ir. It has been proved that introducing carrier materials to reduce the content of Ir element is a feasible cost-reduction program. Here, the Ir/TiO2 composite material was prepared by the polyol method and used to catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction, which could effectively reduce the load amount of Ir in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In addition, the theoretical load of Ir was obtained by model calculation and the polarization curve test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to discuss the relationship between Ir load in MEA and voltage loss and conductivity. The results show that MEA has lower voltage loss and better conductivity as the Ir load is in the range of 0.204-0.304 mgIr/cm2. Altogether, an effective method to reduce the Ir load of PEMWE anode was proposed under the premise comprehensive consideration of both catalyst design and MEA preparation in this work.

A Comprehensive Review of Solar Photocatalysis & Photothermal Catalysis for Hydrogen Production from Biomass: from Material Characteristics to Engineering Application.

Biomass photoreforming is a promising way of producing sustainable hydrogen thanks to the abundant sources of biomass feedstocks. Solar energy provides the heat and driven force to initial biomass oxidation coupled with H2 evolution. Currently, biomass photoreforming is still far from plant-scale applications due to the lower solar energy utilization efficiencies, the low H2 yield, and the lack of appropriate photoreactors. The production of H2 from photoreforming of native biomass and platform molecules was summarized and discussed with particular attention to the prospects of scaling up the catalysis technology for mass hydrogen production. The types of photoreforming, including photocatalysis and photothermal catalysis, were discussed, consequently considering the different requirements for photoreactors. We also reviewed the photoreactors that support biomass photoreforming. Numerical simulation methods were implemented for the solid-liquid two-phase flow and inter-particle radiative transfer involved in the reaction process. Developing concentrated photothermal catalytic flowed reactors is beneficial to scale-up catalytic hydrogen production from biomass.

Economic and risk based optimal energy management of a multi-carrier energy system with water electrolyzing and steam methane reform technologies for hydrogen production

This paper proposes stochastic programming to optimal economic scheduling problems of a sustainable integrated energy system with renewable resources including power, natural gas, and hydrogen carriers. Hydrogen is considered a byproduct of electrical power and natural gas carriers using water electrolysis and steam methane reform process technologies. The main objective is to minimize the operation and emission costs while addressing uncertainties of electric/heating/cooling demands, electricity price, and renewable generation using scenario-based stochastic programming. To achieve a risk-hedging strategy, downside risk constraints are involved to minimize the risky scenarios portfolio. The whole problem is modeled as mixed-integer linear programming in GAMS optimization software. The analysis revealed that the expected operation cost without DRC is $ 577.52 and the expected risk-in-cost value for risky scenarios is $ 470.7. However, a conservative decision for reaching zero risk is costly and increases the expected cost up to $ 2901.1, which is not economically viable. A modest decision-making strategy compromises the cost and risk values where for decreasing the risk-in-cost to $ 288.7 (36.8%), the expected cost increased by to $1010.39 (75.95%). Moreover, the risk-averse decision-maker lowers the power sold to the grid, increases the use of water electrolyzing instead of the SMR process to reduce the environmental charges, and tries to increase flexibility with the help of hydrogen and battery storage.

Assessment of hydrogen production technologies from agricultural residues in Vietnam

Green hydrogen is one of the alternative options to decarbonize the energy sector and limit the global temperature rise below 1.5 °C. Vietnam has various biomass resources, including agricultural and forestry by-products. However, this country has not had any research to evaluate the suitability of hydrogen production technologies using biomass sources in general and agricultural residues in particular with all relevant factors as a basis for investment and development. The paper assesses three green hydrogen production technologies from agricultural residue, including pyrolysis, gasification, and fermentation, by simultaneously applying the Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat (SWOT) analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The hydrogen production technologies and agricultural residues in Vietnam are used as case studies. The obtained results on the weighting factors indicate that the economic indicator accounts for 50.7 %, followed by the technical indicator at 27.8 % and the environmental indicator at 21.5 %. Among the hydrogen production technologies, gasification is the most prioritized technology, at 43.3 %. The priorities of pyrolysis and fermentation are not considerably different, at 29.6 % and 27.1 %, respectively. Rice straw has the highest hydrogen production capacity with a total potential of about 50.43 billion m3 while the lowest total hydrogen production potential is cassava pomace with a value of 0.26 billion m3. Designing and simulating the hydrogen production process from agricultural waste using selected technologies will be studied in further work to finalize and verify the used assumptions, methods, and information in this study.

Thermodynamic evaluation of decarbonized power production based on solar energy integration

This study aims to create an environmentally friendly system by utilizing solar and biomass energies as renewable sources, employing high temperature and pressure ranges for analysis. A new energy system is introduced, using biomass to produce hydrogen and other valuable commodities. The study evaluates power and hydrogen production technologies from a thermodynamic perspective, including conventional biomass gasification, calcium and iron thermochemical looping cycles, and gasification with supercritical water, incorporating carbon capture techniques. It assesses and compares the performance of locally available biomass material, such as cotton stalk, during gasification. Results show that employing the supercritical water gasification cycle yields the highest hydrogen production (8330 kg/h) and carbon capture rate (92.91 %), with potential for significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Supercritical water gasification also demonstrates electricity, heating, and CO2 production rates of 51.48 MW, 23.3 MW, and 16.6 MW, respectively. Integrating supercritical water gasification with solar energy enhances syngas productivity and system efficiency. Additionally, the highest performance is demonstrated in the SCWG case, which exhibits the lowest irreversibility at 320.32 MW. In conclusion, the system with supercritical water gasification emerges as the most efficient biomass conversion method, with higher energy and exergy efficiencies of 67.59 % and 49.74 %, respectively, under specific operating conditions. The developed model facilitates integration of solar energy into biomass gasification, enabling prediction and comparison of performance in terms of energy and exergy efficiencies.

The impact of mechanical vibration at cathode on hydrogen yields in water electrolysis

This study investigates the utilization of mechanical vibration to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrolysis processes. By varying the force magnitude and frequency of mechanical vibration, significant improvements in HER efficiency were observed. Specifically, the mechanical vibration-assisted electrolysis with a hitting frequency of 3 hits per second and 157.2698 Kg. m−2 hitting force improved the HER current density by 128 % compared to untreated water electrolysis. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) data for the graphite electrode revealed a distinct reduction peak at 1 V, indicating a favorable electrochemical reduction reaction influenced by mechanical vibration. The frequency of mechanical vibration significantly impacted the LSV response, with variations in current values across different conditions. Mechanistically, mechanical vibration disrupted intermolecular forces, facilitating better electrode-bubble interactions and accelerating reaction kinetics. Additionally, changes in pH levels induced by mechanical vibration further enhanced HER efficiency. These results suggest that integrating mechanical vibration into electrolysis systems significantly improves HER performance, contributing to the advancement of more efficient and sustainable hydrogen production technologies, which are crucial for achieving net-zero emission targets.

Boosting urea-assisted water splitting over P-MoO2@CoNiP through Mo leaching/reabsorption coupling CoNiP reconstruction

Combining the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an effective technology for energy-saving hydrogen production. Herein, a bifunctional electrocatalyst with CoNiP nanosheet coating on P-doped MoO2 nanorods (P-MoO2@CoNiP) is obtained via a two-step hydrothermal followed a phosphorization process. The catalyst demonstrates exceptional alkaline HER performance due to the formation of MoO2 and the dissolution/absorption of Mo. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Co and P in the P-MoO2@CoNiP catalyst facilitated the formation of NiOOH, enhancing UOR performance. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the hydrogen adsorption Gibbs free energy (ΔGH*) of P-MoO2@CoNiP is closer to 0 eV than CoNiP, favoring the HER. The catalyst only needs −0.08 and 1.38 V to reach 100 mA cm−2 for catalyzing the HER and UOR, respectively. The full urea electrolysis system driven by P-MoO2@CoNiP requires 1.51 V to achieve 100 mA cm−2, 120 mV lower than the traditional water electrolysis.

A parametric life cycle framework to promote sustainable-by-design product development: Application to a hydrogen production technology

The European Ecodesign Directive is an effective normative framework that has been extensively proven to support the energy transition of numerous European industrial sectors. From an analytical standpoint, it provides practitioners with the EcoReport tool, a simplified life cycle spreadsheet that is aimed at guiding the development of ecodesign measures of mandatory compliance in European countries. In this regard, several studies have highlighted the limitations of the EcoReport tool when addressing emerging technologies like those tied to the hydrogen sector. These works also propose to further integrate material criticality and social metrics in order to enlarge the scope of the European Directive and foster the shift from ecodesign to sustainable-by-design product development. In this situation, building upon the principles of the EcoReport tool and recognizing the outcomes of the aforementioned critical analyses, the conceptualization of a novel sustainable-by-design framework is presented and applied to a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) stack for hydrogen production. The operationalization of the framework is conducted, for the first time in the context of sustainable design, by combining the use of the Brightway2 and lca_algebraic Python packages. Overall, the proposed approach succeeds in providing a complete sustainability perspective to the design of emerging technologies. Regarding the tangible lessons learned on the hydrogen-related case study, product concepts are proven to progressively improve the sustainability performance of the technology. It is noticeable that the enhancement of the economic competitivity is more limited than that achieved at the remaining sustainability indicators (i.e., environmental, social and material criticality metrics). In line with the outcomes of the life cycle contribution assessment, multi-criteria decision analysis ratings lead to concluding that a sustainable-by-design SOEC stack product concept should prioritize limiting its material intensity.

Global Optimization and Quantitative Assessment of Large-Scale Renewables-Based Hydrogen System Considering Various Transportation Modes and Multi-Field Hydrogen Loads

In the past, hydrogen was mostly produced from fossil fuels, causing a certain degree of energy and environmental problems. With the development of low-carbon energy systems, renewable energy hydrogen production technology has developed rapidly and become one of the focuses of research in recent years. However, the existing work is still limited by small-scale hydrogen production systems, and there is a lack of comprehensive research on the whole production-storage-transportation-utilization hydrogen system (PSTUH2S), especially on the modeling of different hydrogen transportation modes and various hydrogen loads in different fields. To make up for these deficiencies, the specific physical and mathematical models of the PSTUH2S are firstly described in this paper, with a full account of large-scale water-electrolytic hydrogen production from renewable power curtailment and grid power, various hydrogen storage and transportation modes, and multi-field hydrogen consumption paths. Furthermore, to achieve the maximum economic, energy, and environmental benefits from the PSTUH2S, a multi-objective nonlinear optimization model is also presented herein and then solved by the hybrid method combining the nonlinear processing method, the CPLEX solver and the piecewise time series production simulation method. Lastly, case studies are conducted against the background of a region in northwest China, where hydrogen consumption capacity in various years is accurately assessed and the potential advantages of the PSTUH2S are demonstrated. As the simulation results show, the power curtailment of renewable energy generation can be reduced by 3.61/11.87/14.72 billion kW·h in 2025/2030/2035, respectively, thus contributing to a 4.98%~10.09% increase in the renewable energy consumption rate and millions of tons of carbon emission reduction in these years. In terms of the total equivalent economic benefits, the proposed method is able to bring about a cost saving of USD 190.44 million, USD 634.66 million, and USD 865.87 million for 2025, 2030, and 2035, respectively.

Revolutionary Energy Harvesting: Gravity‐Driven Piezocatalysts for Sustainable Hydrogen Production in MoS2@Mo2CTx Systems

AbstractHydrogen (H2) is mainly produced using steam methane reforming, electrolysis, and gasification, which require external energy and special catalysts. A new catalyst by combining MoS2 nanoflowers (NFs) with metal carbide/nitride nanosheets (Mo2CTx MXene) to create a nanosheet bending moment. The MoS2@Mo2CTx heterostructures achieve a production rate of 1164.8 µmol g−1 h−1 under an application of mechanical force, 4.01 and 3.06 times higher than Mo2CTx and MoS2 alone, due to enhanced charge transfer from MoS2's piezoelectricity and Mo2CTx's conductivity. This study introduces a pioneering methodology that harnesses gravitational energy as a continuous mechanical force, simulated using a peristaltic pump, to drive the piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), achieving a notable hydrogen production rate of 454.1 µmol g−1 over 24 hours and demonstrating a sustained capability for hydrogen generation. The theoretical calculation results validate the piezoelectric potential in water‐flow‐pressure triggered HER systems. The piezocatalytic HER system, assuming powered by the Hoover Dam, will produce 290.9 kmoles of hydrogen per ton daily, equivalent to utilizing 19 150 kWh of energy in the electrocatalytic system. The simulated gravity‐driven water flow using MoS2@Mo2CTx piezocatalysts for H2 generation demonstrates superior efficiency by eliminating common thermal energy conversion losses, marking a significant breakthrough in sustainable hydrogen production technologies.

High-quality utilization of raw coke oven gas for hydrogen production based on CO2 adsorption-enhanced reforming

To realize the high-quality utilization of raw coke oven gas (RCOG), the adsorption-enhanced steam reforming process was purposed for hydrogen production, coupled with the sensible heat recovery and the conversion of the high-energy components (such as tar). For this process, the hydrogen production performance and energy utilization efficiency were focused via reforming experiment and process simulation. Using the prepared bifunctional catalyst (Ni/Ce–CaO–Ca12Al14O33), the enhanced reforming experiment was conducted based on orthogonal design and Taguchi method. Compared to S/C ratio (the mole ratio of steam to carbon in the simulated RCOG) and WHSV (weight hourly space velocity), reforming temperature shows a higher sensitivity to hydrogen production. At 800 °C, the produced H2 amount can achieve 3.86 times of that in the initial RCOG and the H2 concentration in the produced gas can reach 88.38 %, when the S/C ratio was 15 and the WHSV was 0.0847 h−1. Based on the established process model, the energy consumption of RCOG enhanced reforming system was discussed. Compared to traditional hydrogen production technologies, this novel process exhibits a lower energy consumption, just about 62.5 MJ/kg H2, and also shows a higher energy conversion efficiency.

Enhanced Hydrogen Production in Microwave‐Driven Water‐Splitting Redox Cycles by Engineering Ceria Properties

AbstractSustainable hydrogen, produced from renewable sources such as solar or wind, plays a decisive role in driving industrial decarbonization. Among hydrogen production technologies, steam electrolysis, and solar‐driven thermochemical cycles using reducible solid oxides show promise but face challenges due to high operation temperatures. Microwave‐driven redox chemical looping enables the direct, contactless electrification of the process, reducing the operation temperature and complexity. Previous works showed that microwaves can efficiently drive reduction/water‐splitting cycles using Gd‐doped ceria at low temperatures (<250 °C), but adjustment of material properties is needed. Here, the key properties of materials are explored that affect the redox mechanism by screening a series of doped ceria materials to enhance microwave‐driven hydrogen production. Evaluation of trivalent dopants (La3+, Gd3+, Y3+, Yb3+, Er3+, and Nd3+) reveals that reduction correlates with lattice and electronic properties. The composition Ce0.9La0.1O2‐δ achieves 1.41 mL g−1, the highest hydrogen production among the studied series. Its narrower bandgap allows for reaching higher conductivity upon microwave‐driven reduction at lower temperatures, while a larger ionic lattice size boosts solid‐state oxygen diffusion. Overall, this research remarks on the critical properties of ceria‐based materials that enhance hydrogen production in microwave‐driven water‐splitting cycles, supporting the design of more efficient materials for sustainable chemical production technology.

Development of Dehydrogenation System for Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier with Enhanced Reaction Rate

Owing to the massive expansion and intermittent nature of renewable power, green hydrogen production, storage, and transportation technologies with improved economic returns need to be developed. Moreover, the slowness of the dehydrogenation reaction is a primary barrier to the commercialization of liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology. The present study focused on increasing the speed of dehydrogenation, resulting in the proposal of a triple-loop dehydrogenation system comprising reaction, heating, and chilling loops. The reactor has a rotating cage containing a packed bed of catalyst pellets, which is designed to enhance both heat and mass transfer by helping to detach precipitated hydrogen bubbles from the catalyst surface. In addition, the centrifugal force aids in isolating the gas phase from the LOHC liquid. A dehydrogenation experiment was conducted using the reaction and chilling loops, which revealed that the average hydrogen production rate during the first hour was 52.6 LPM (liter per minute) from 26.3 L of perhydro-dibenzyl-toluene with 1.5 kg of 0.5 wt% Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. This was approximately 48% more than the value predicted with the reaction kinetics measured with a small-scale plug flow dehydrogenation reactor with less than 1.0 g of 5.0 wt% Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. The concept, construction methods, and results of the preliminary gas infiltration, flow visualization, and reactor pumping experiments are also described in this paper.

A study on production of hydrogen using Al scrap feedstock.

A sustainable future, concerning the energy transformation of a country, heavily relies on the availability of energy resources, particularly renewables such as solar, wind, hydropower, and clean hydrogen. Among these, hydrogen is the most promising energy source due to its high calorific value, ranging between 120 and 140MJ/kg. It has the potential to lead the market in various industries such as power generation, steel, chemical, petrochemical, and automotive. Significant research has been going on in hydrogen production technologies to reduce costs and improve competitiveness with fossil fuels. One such potential approach includes the use of metal-water reactions, which offer unique opportunities for producing clean hydrogen and other valuable byproducts. However, the quantity of hydrogen produced varies depending on the metal feedstock, type of electrolyte, and the activator or catalyst, used in combination with water. This latest work discusses recent progress on hydrogen production and the effects of variations in different parameters on the process, with a focus on aluminum (Al)-water reactions. Investigations have been conducted and reported on the effect of various activators with different concentrations, the quantity of aluminum scrap feedstock, and the volume of the electrolyte on the kinetics of the metal-water reactions and hydrogen production. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was observed to be more effective than potassium hydroxide (KOH) in promoting metal-water reactions. These activator-assisted metal-water reactions help produce clean hydrogen, along with other value-added products such as hydroxides. This work clearly sheds light on the potential utilization of industrial aluminum scrap as feedstock for producing clean hydrogen.

Three-Dimensional Modeling of Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolysis: A Two-Phase Flow Approach

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) are attracting growing interest as a green hydrogen production technology. Unlike proton exchange membrane (PEM) systems, AEMWEs operate in an alkaline environment, allowing one to use less expensive, non-noble materials as catalysts for the reactions and non-fluorinated anion exchange polymer membranes. However, the performance and stability of AEMWEs strongly depend on the alkaline electrolyte concentration. In this work, a three-dimensional multi-physics model considering two-phase flow effects is applied to understand the impact of KOH electrolyte concentration and its flow rate on AEMWE performance, as well as on the current and gas volume fraction distributions. The numerical results were compared to experimental data published in the literature. For current densities above 1 A/cm2, a strongly non-uniform H2 and O2 gas volume distribution could be evidenced by the 3D simulations. Increasing the KOH electrolyte flow rate from 10 to 100 mL/min noticeably improves cell performance for current densities above 1 A/cm2. These results show the importance of accounting for the three-dimensional geometry of an AEMWE and two-phase flow effects to accurately describe its operation and performance.

Single Atom Ag Bonding Between PF3T Nanocluster and TiO2 Leads the Ultra‐Stable Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic H2 Production

AbstractAtomic Ag cluster bonding is employed to reinforce the interface between PF3T nano‐cluster and TiO2 nanoparticle. With an optimized Ag loading (Ag/TiO2 = 0.5 wt%), the Ag atoms will uniformly disperse on TiO2 thus generating a high density of intermediate states in the band gap to form the electron channel between the terthiophene group of PF3T and the TiO2 in the hybrid composite (denoted as T@Ag05‐P). The former expands the photon absorption band width and the latter facilitates the core‐hole splitting by injecting the photon excited electron (from the excitons in PF3T) into the conduction band (CB) of TiO2. These characteristics enable the high efficiency of H2 production to 16 580 µmol h−1 g−1 and photocatalysis stability without degradation under visible light exposure for 96 h. Compared to that of hybrid material without Ag bonding (TiO2@PF3T), the H2 production yield and stability are improved by 4.1 and 18.2‐fold which shows the best performance among existing materials in similar component combination and interfacial reinforcement. The unique bonding method offers a new prospect to accelerate the development of photocatalytic hydrogen production technologies.

HORIZONS OF SUSTAINABILITY: THE ROLE OF HYDROGEN IN THE WORLD ENERGY AND PROSPECTS FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN

Hydrogen energy is a promising direction in the field of the energy industry of the future. The article presents a review of research, analyzing the relevance in Kazakhstan and in the world as a whole, reveals the importance of hydrogen energy in the context of modern challenges, such as climate change, the need for sustainable development and diversification of the energy sector. The international experience of the introduction of hydrogen energy is analyzed, with a focus on the USA and the European Union. National programs and projects designed to stimulate the development of hydrogen technologies, create infrastructure, and attract investment are being considered. Based on the analysis, some problematic issues are highlighted that require further research and development. They include the development of more efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production technologies, the creation of a reliable storage and transportation system, as well as the development of appropriate legislation and policies. In conclusion, the article makes recommendations for the further development of hydrogen energy. They include the need to strengthen international cooperation, educational programs and information campaigns, as well as support from Governments and financial organizations.

Eulerian-Eulerian-VOF multifluid modelling of liquid–gas reacting flow for hydrogen generation in an alkaline water electrolyser

Alkaline water electrolysis is a promising technology for hydrogen production. However, its efficiency drops considerably at high current densities due to the mass transfer limitation and the increase in electrical resistivity arising from the complexity of the liquid–gas reacting flow behaviour within the electrolyser cell. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to describe the liquid–gas reactive flow behaviour. The model integrates the Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model and the multifluid Volume of Fluid (VOF) model, allowing the mathematical model to capture the electrochemical reaction effect on hydrogen gas formation and bulk flow bubble behaviour. The model is validated against prior experimental results. The simulation results suggest that, at higher current densities, the electrical performances and the mass transfer rates are highly influenced by the formation of gas bubbles, which may block the active sites for the electrochemical reaction to occur. Quantitatively, at 4000 A/m2, the mass transfer rate is reduced by 50% at regions above the cathode compared to electrode region, while electrical conductivity near the flow channel wall, drops by 17% compared to the bulk liquid electrical conductivity. The predicted electrical conductivity is comparable to the Bruggemann correlation with an average relative error of less than 2%, confirming the model’s validity in predicting the reacting flow behaviour and performance of the electrolyser. The numerical model offers a cost-effective tool for insightful understanding and refining the design and operation of hydrogen generation systems.

Amorphous multimetal based catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

The development of efficient, low-cost water splitting electrocatalysts is needed to store energy by generating sustainable hydrogen from low power clean but intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind. Here, we report a highly sustained low overpotential for oxygen evolution reached by the unique combination of three metals (NiCoV) prepared from a simple low temperature auto-combustion process. The amorphous multimetal oxygen evolving catalyst could be stably coated on a stainless-steel support using a tribochemical particle blasting method to create an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrode with a low overpotential of 230 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a low Tafel slope of 40 mV dec−1. In addition to their low overpotential, this oxygen evolving electrocatalyst preserved performance demonstrating a stability after 10 h at the technologically relevant current density and without any surface morphology alteration. Given the importance of sustainable hydrogen production, the development of this new OER catalyst points the way to removing a key technical bottleneck for the water splitting reaction and could offer a route to cost reduction and lowering hurdles to more widespread adaptation of electrolyser technologies for hydrogen production.