Creating a top-tier, high-density W single atom catalyst

Designing a catalyst is incredibly difficult - yet researchers at Tohoku University have successfully created a catalyst that is ranked as one of the best. Their catalyst greatly speeds up the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is a typically slow-paced reaction that desperately needs a boost so that it can be used practically in environmentally friendly technologies. This result combines low overpotential, long-term stability, and practicality into a catalyst that has a promising future helping us combat climate change.

The findings were published in Journal of the American Chemical Society on August 20, 2025.

What makes designing catalysts so difficult is obtaining the right balance of traits that speeds up the OER as much as possible while minimizing negative tradeoffs. For example, while more active sites are desirable, too many can compromise the composition and structure of the catalyst - making it unstable.

The key to their success was tungsten (W) and a general oxygen-vacancy anchoring strategy. Their method enabled the high-density and stable incorporation of W single atoms into transition-metal hydroxides/oxides. This stabilizes ultrathin structures, while also allowing for more active sites that speed up the reaction. This technique breaks the conventional trade-off between activity and stability.

"This research is important as it contributes to the development of more efficient and cost-effective catalysts for water electrolysis, a key process for producing clean hydrogen fuel." explains Professor Hao Li (WPI-AIMR).

This work provides a low-cost, robust, and efficient alternative that does not depend on expensive noble metals or unstable Fe-based systems. The research team says their next steps will further evaluate the long-term stability of the catalysts under industrially relevant current densities, and explore their performance in practical applications such as Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis and Zn-air batteries. These efforts will accelerate the translation of our findings into cost-effective, durable OER catalysts for renewable energy conversion and storage technologies.

About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)

The WPI program was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

See the latest research news from the centers at the WPI News Portal: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsportal/WPI
Main WPI program site:  www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR)
Tohoku University

Establishing a World-Leading Research Center for Materials Science

AIMR aims to contribute to society through its actions as a world-leading research center for materials science and push the boundaries of research frontiers. To this end, the institute gathers excellent researchers in the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and mathematics and provides a world-class research environment.

AIMR site: https://www.wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp/en/