Breakthrough oxide enables solar heat hydrogen production at record speed
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 26, 2025

A joint research team from POSTECH and Seoul National University has identified a novel oxide that produces large amounts of hydrogen using only heat, eliminating carbon emissions. The discovery, achieved through advanced computational screening, was recently reported in Advanced Science.

Led by Professor Hyungyu Jin and Dr. Dongkyu Lee of POSTECH with Professor In-Ho Jung and Dr. Joonhyun Nam of SNU, the researchers discovered (MgMnCo)0.65Fe0.35Oy as a high-yield hydrogen-generating oxide. Their screening approach evaluated over 1,000 material conditions in a single day, more than 7,000 times faster than traditional methods, which typically require a week per condition.

Experimental tests confirmed the oxide's outstanding hydrogen output and thermal conversion efficiency, positioning it among the most effective materials worldwide. Beyond hydrogen generation, the same methodology can accelerate material discovery for methane reforming, metal recovery in battery recycling, and oxidation-reduction in steel manufacturing.

"This research dramatically reduces the timeline for discovering hydrogen production materials, bringing commercialization significantly closer," said Professor Hyungyu Jin of POSTECH. Professor In-Ho Jung of SNU added, "This is a excellent example of how computational scientific databases can rapidly identify complex oxide materials that would be difficult to design using AI alone, demonstrating the power of interdisciplinary collaboration."

The project received support from Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT through the Mid-Career Research Program and the Nano Material Technology Development Program.

Research Report:Discovery of Novel Ferrites for Thermochemical H2 Production Cycle via High-Throughput Thermodynamic Screening

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Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
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