This project aims to improve the efficiency of alkaline water electrolysis, a key process for storing excess renewable energy as hydrogen. Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE) is one of the most mature and scalable technologies for this process, capable of reaching megawatt (MW) scale. A key area of interest is the development of highly efficient electrodes with superior performance compared to conventional ones. This efficiency improvement can be achieved through precise coatings, such as controlling coating thickness, composition, or creating nanostructured coatings to increase surface area and catalyst performance.
Nano4Energy is developing optimized electrodes using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), enabling precise control over coating size and composition. However, increasing the effective surface area through nanostructures remains a challenge.
Nanostine S.L. addresses this by utilizing ultra-high vacuum sputtering technology to produce ultrapure nanoparticles without chemical residues. Their patented method allows the creation of alloy nanoparticles, reducing costs and enhancing system efficiency.
By combining these technologies, the project will apply nanoparticle coatings to Nano4Energy’s electrodes. This synergy is expected to boost electrode efficiency by up to 20%, using nickel-molybdenum coatings on the cathode and nickel-cobalt on the anode.
This initiative is part of “Activa Startups”, a program within the “Activa” family, promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism as part of its National Strategy for Connected Industry 4.0. The program aims to drive the digital transformation of the Spanish industry, fostering growth potential and strengthening the local supply of digital solutions.
