FTMC Catalysis Study Featured on the ‘Materials’ Journal Cover

The article “Reusable NiCo/Cu Catalysts for Sustainable Hydrogen Generation” written by researchers from the FTMC Department of Catalysis has been featured on the cover of the international journal Materials.

The authors of the study are PhD candidate Gitana Valeckytė, Dr Zita Sukackienė, Dr Virginija Kepenienė, PhD candidate Raminta Šakickaitė, Dr Jūratė Vaičiūnienė, Dr Loreta Tamašauskaitė-Tamašiūnaitė, Dr Jolanta Stupakova (VILNIUS TECH), and Prof. habil. Dr Eugenijus Norkus.

“Our article was selected from 219 publications and chosen for the journal’s cover – this is a significant acknowledgement for the entire research team. We sincerely thank all co-authors and everyone who contributed to the implementation of this work,” says one of the authors, Dr Sukackienė.

The article describes nickel-cobalt-copper (NiCo/Cu) catalysts designed for sustainable hydrogen production, examining their efficiency and potential applications in energy conversion processes.

Hydrogen is increasingly regarded as one of the most important clean energy sources of the future. However, for it to be produced sustainably and at low cost, reliable and efficient catalysts are needed – materials that accelerate chemical reactions.

FTMC researchers presented a solution: inexpensive and reusable NiCo/Cu catalysts developed using a simple and low-cost chemical deposition method. They were tested in a sodium borohydride solution, from which they enabled hydrogen generation.

These catalysts produced hydrogen rapidly, required less energy to initiate the reaction, and retained nearly all their efficiency even after multiple uses. Therefore, they are expected to become a promising alternative to expensive noble-metal catalysts (e.g., platinum).

Congratulations to our colleagues, and we wish them continued success in this research field!

FTMC information