Triple-Efficiency Ruthenium Catalyst Unlocks Scalable Hydrogen from Ammonia

Ammonia Decomposition Catalyst Hydrogen Production

A team of scientists at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has introduced a groundbreaking ruthenium-based catalyst that triples the efficiency of ammonia decomposition for clean hydrogen production. By applying an innovative nanoparticle synthesis strategy, this approach marks a significant step forward in solving one of the most pressing challenges in the hydrogen economy: scalable and cost-effective hydrogen extraction from ammonia.

💡 Why Ammonia is a Key Hydrogen Carrier

Ammonia (NH₃) has gained widespread attention as a promising hydrogen carrier because it contains 17.6% hydrogen by weight and is easily liquefied for storage and transportation. With global infrastructure already in place for ammonia handling, it offers an economical alternative to compressed hydrogen gas or cryogenic storage. However, decomposing ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen at the point of use remains a technical and economic bottleneck.

⚗️ The Ruthenium Catalyst Challenge—and the Breakthrough

While ruthenium (Ru) is highly effective at catalyzing ammonia decomposition at lower temperatures (500–600°C), it is also rare and expensive. To maximize its efficiency, researchers typically produce it as nanoparticles—but conventional nanocatalyst fabrication methods are complex, costly, and rely on capping agents to prevent particle aggregation.

Led by Dr. Kee Young Koo, the KIER team developed a new catalyst synthesis method using a modified polyol process that avoids the need for capping agents altogether. By leveraging the properties of butylene glycol—an organic molecule with a long carbon chain—they achieved uniform ruthenium dispersion with particle sizes around 2.5 nm.

🚀 Triple the Efficiency, Lower Costs

The resulting catalyst offers:

  • 3× greater efficiency in ammonia decomposition per unit volume
  • 20% lower activation energy compared to traditional ruthenium catalysts
  • 1.7× faster hydrogen production rate

These results are attributed to the formation of B5 active sites—the specific surface structures where hydrogen production reactions occur. The catalyst was tested in both powder and pellet form, indicating strong potential for industrial scalability.

🔧 Toward Commercial Hydrogen Infrastructure

This development supports a major shift toward decentralized hydrogen generation from ammonia, particularly in sectors such as fuel cells, power generation, and industrial processing. The research team is now working on scaling the technology for mass production and integration into real-world ammonia cracking systems.

📖 Publication and Source

The work was published in the journal Small by Kyoung Deok Kim et al. Full article link: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-effective-catalyst-enables-triple-efficiency.html

This blog article was prepared with the assistance of AI technologies.

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#HydrogenEconomy #AmmoniaDecomposition #RutheniumCatalyst #CleanHydrogen #FuelCellTech #HydrogenStorage #MaterialsScience #CatalystInnovation #TechForNetZero #QuantumServerNetworks #PWmat #AIinScience #EnergyTransition #HydrogenCarrier #GreenAmmonia

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