Plate Nº 21 · recorded November 14, 2026
Chemistry & MaterialsReported finding
Chromium Helps Keep Ruthenium Stable in Water Electrolysis
A 2026 Nature Materials study reports that chromium neighbors buffered ruthenium’s oxidation during water electrolysis, preserving catalytic activity and improving durability without a quantified gain.
By Nathan Brooks3 min read619 words
In brief
- A 2026 Nature Materials study reports that chromium buffered excessive oxidation in neighboring ruthenium atoms.
- The paired atoms interacted through oxygen bridges and preserved catalytic activity during water electrolysis.
- Electron microscopy and synchrotron spectroscopy revealed the atomic cooperation; the available summary gives no numerical durability gain.
- The researchers plan higher-resolution imaging and finer control of atomic-pair formation to advance the approach toward practical technology.
- The paper appeared as “Proximal redox coupling enables oxidation damping for stable water electrolysis,” with DOI 10.1038/s41563-026-02783-4.
Chromium helped stabilize neighboring ruthenium atoms in a water-electrolysis catalyst, according to a 2026 Nature Materials study under the leadership of ICFO professor F. Pelayo García de Arquer. Water electrolysis splits water to make hydrogen, which the researchers call “green hydrogen,” and catalysts speed that reaction.
The researchers report improved durability, meaning the catalyst lasted longer under operating conditions, while preserving its catalytic activity. The available summary provides no numerical durability gain, catalyst lifetime or reaction-rate change, leaving the scale of the benefit unquantified.
How did chromium keep ruthenium stable?
Ruthenium commonly appears in single-atom catalysts, where isolated metal atoms do the catalytic work. On its own, however, ruthenium tends to over-oxidize and dissolve during operation. Oxidation here means losing electrons.
The team designed a synthesis process that placed ruthenium and chromium atoms close together inside an oxide scaffold. A scaffold is a supporting structure that holds atoms in position. Advanced electron microscopy and synchrotron spectroscopy, measurements of atomic structure and chemical state, revealed that oxygen atoms bridged the neighboring metals.
Chromium buffered the excessive oxidation while preserving catalytic activity. In effect, the neighboring atoms formed local units that responded cooperatively during catalysis instead of behaving as isolated atoms.
What did the atomic pairing accomplish?
The coupled units worked in tandem to control how the catalyst evolved during operation, improving its durability. Kaiwen Wang and Lu Xia, the other first co-authors, described that cooperative control as the key outcome.
Tengyu Chen, first co-author, said: “Many people know that chromium helps stainless steel resist corrosion. So we wondered whether it could also be a great partner for restless ruthenium, and began to explore its protective role at the atomic scale.”
That comparison points to a specific role for chromium: the researchers treated it as a chemical partner that protects an active metal. Their observations suggest that proximity can regulate oxidation without switching off the reaction.
What remains before practical use?
“More efficient and durable catalysts could make renewable hydrogen production less dependent on scarce precious metals and more affordable,” García de Arquer said. “Strategies like this one, which keep highly active catalysts stable, support the long-term goal of producing clean hydrogen for use as a fuel.”
The researchers now plan to observe how the atomic pairs form at higher resolution and control their formation more precisely. They want to use those findings to generalize the underlying principle and translate it into practical technology.
Those benefits remain goals for further development, not quantified outcomes in the available summary. The work supports the possibility of reducing reliance on scarce precious metals; it does not establish that catalysts can dispense with them. It also reports no cost reduction or measured increase in hydrogen output.
Who did the work?
García de Arquer led the 15-author team, which included Tengyu Chen, Kaiwen Wang, Lu Xia, Wulyu Jiang, Linlin Yang, Kaiqi Zhao, Ranit Ram, Junmei Chen, Marinos Dimitropoulos, Viktoria Golovanova, Prathama Haldar, Barbara Polesso, Aparna M. Das and Sunil Kadam.
The study involved ICFO and close collaboration with six named institutions.
- Collaborating institutions: University of Bayreuth; Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter; Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya (IREC); Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2); Chongqing University; and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
- Paper: “Proximal redox coupling enables oxidation damping for stable water electrolysis.”
- Journal and year: Nature Materials (2026).
- DOI: 10.1038/s41563-026-02783-4.
The paper’s title describes three linked ideas: “proximal” means nearby, “redox” refers to electron transfer, and “oxidation damping” means buffering excessive oxidation. The result identifies a specific atomic arrangement to control, while its cost and performance gains remain unquantified in the available summary.
via phys.org/rss-feed/ (Source)
More from Nathan Brooks
Show full bio
Market editor covering companies, deals and strategy in general science news at SciBeat.
358 articles
Nearby plates
- New Water-Stable Catalyst Aims to Bring Carbon-Bond Chemistry Into Cells
- Cobalt phosphide shields itself while making hydrogen
- Light Unlocks Hydrogen Atoms for Metal-Free Chemistry
- NUS Catalyst Regeneration Keeps Hydrogen Output Alive for 2,000 Hours
- Iodide Coating on Platinum Boosts Solar Hydrogen Output