Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions by providing a more efficient route for a reaction to occur and making it easier to start and finish. Since catalysts are neither consumed nor altered in the reaction, they can be used repeatedly, and they are essential in a variety of industrial, environmental, and biochemical processes.

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The team, which included researchers from Hokkaido University, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and elsewhere, developed the catalyst, called NiOOH-Ni, by combining nickel (Ni) with nickel oxyhydroxide.

Ammonia can cause severe environmental problems, such as excessive algal growth in water bodies, which depletes oxygen and harms aquatic life. At high concentrations, ammonia can harm humans and wildlife. Effective management and conversion of ammonia are thus critical, but its corrosive nature makes it difficult to handle.

The researchers developed NiOOH-Ni using an electrochemical process. Nickel foam, a porous material, was treated with an electrical current while immersed in a chemical solution. This treatment resulted in the formation of nickel oxyhydroxide particles on the foam’s surface.

Despite their irregular and non-crystalline structure, these nickel-oxygen particles significantly enhance ammonia conversion efficiency. The catalyst’s design allows it to operate effectively at lower voltages and higher currents than traditional catalysts.

“NiOOH-Ni works better than Ni foam, and the reaction pathway depends on the amount of electricity (voltage) used,” explains Professor Zhenguo Huang from the University of Technology Sydney, who led the study.

“At lower voltages, NiOOH-Ni produces nitrite, while at higher voltages, it generates nitrate.”

This means the catalyst can be used in different ways depending on what is needed. For example, it can be used to clean wastewater by converting ammonia into less harmful substances. But in another process, it can also be used to produce hydrogen gas, a clean fuel. This flexibility makes NiOOH-Ni valuable for various applications.

“NiOOH-Ni is impressively durable and stable, and it works well even after being used multiple times,” says Associate Professor Andrey Lyalin from Hokkaido University, who was involved in the study.

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“This makes it a great alternative to traditional, more expensive catalysts like platinum, which aren’t as effective at converting ammonia.”

The catalyst’s long-term reliability makes it suitable for large-scale industrial use, potentially transforming how industries handle wastewater and produce clean energy.

The study has been published in Advanced Energy Materials.

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Lithium-ion energy storage dominates the market due to its technological maturity, but its suitability for large-scale grid energy storage is limited by safety concerns with the volatile materials inside.

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Lead researcher Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma said their batteries were at the cutting edge of an emerging field of aqueous energy storage devices, with breakthroughs that significantly improve the technology’s performance and lifespan.

“What we design and manufacture are called aqueous metal-ion batteries—or we can call them water batteries,” said Ma, from RMIT’s School of Science.

The team use water to replace organic electrolytes, meaning their batteries can’t start a fire or blow up, unlike their lithium-ion counterparts.

“Addressing end-of-life disposal challenges that consumers, industry and governments globally face with current energy storage technology, our batteries can be safely disassembled and the materials can be reused or recycled,” Ma said.

The simplicity of manufacturing processes for their water batteries helped make mass production feasible, he said.

“We use materials such as magnesium and zinc that are abundant in nature, inexpensive and less toxic than alternatives used in other kinds of batteries, which helps to lower manufacturing costs and reduces risks to human health and the environment.”

The team has made a series of small-scale trial batteries for numerous peer-reviewed studies to tackle various technological challenges, including boosting energy storage capacity and the lifespan.

The batteries now last significantly longer—comparable to the commercial lithium-ion batteries in the market—making them ideal for high-speed and intensive use in real-world applications.

“With impressive capacity and extended lifespan, we’ve not only advanced battery technology but also successfully integrated our design with solar panels, showcasing efficient and stable renewable energy storage,” Ma said.

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Ma said the team’s batteries were well suited for large-scale applications, making them ideal for grid storage and renewable energy integration—especially in terms of safety considerations.

As part of an ARC Linkage project, Ma’s team is continually developing their water batteries in collaboration with industry partner, GrapheneX, a tech innovator based in Sydney.

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