A team of South Korean and Japanese researchers has developed a technology that allows hydrogen to be created in an anionic state and move freely within a solid as if it were a liquid. This technology is expected to provide a crucial turning point in the development of next-generation eco-friendly energy systems, unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries or solid-state batteries.
Research teams led by Professor Kim Sang-ryun of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) have successfully stabilized hydrogen in an anionic form with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and Tokyo University of Science, and designed a material structure that allows it to move quickly within solids, they noted on the 21st.
While hydrogen is an environmentally friendly energy source, it has the disadvantage of being difficult to handle as it easily reacts with surrounding materials. To address this issue, the researchers devised a structure that utilizes a special ion called "molecular complex ion" after converting hydrogen into an anion to facilitate better ion movement.
The research team arranged complex ions and hydrogen anions within a crystal structure known as "perovskite." In this setup, the complex ions stabilize the hydrogen anions, allowing them to move more easily in areas where these ions interact weakly. As a result, the mobility of hydrogen anions increased by more than 1,000 times compared to when complex ions were absent.
This technology has high potential for application in various energy fields, such as secondary batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzer systems. Professor Kim Sang-ryun said, "This research represents the world's first case of implementing hydrogen anion conduction via complex ions, and it could pave the way for a significant turning point in the development of new eco-friendly energy technologies based on hydrogen."
The results of this research were published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on the 17th.
References
Journal of the American Chemical Society (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c17532