Dual-passivated stainless steel could slash green hydrogen costs

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong developed SS-H2, a manganese-enhanced stainless steel that forms a second protective layer atop the chromium oxide, enabling corrosion resistance up to 1700 mV in chloride-rich environments. This makes seawater electrolysis for green hydrogen more feasible and could replace expensive titanium components, potentially cutting structural-material costs by about 40x for PEM electrolyzers. The team is moving toward industrial-scale production and has filed patents, though practical deployment in components like meshes and foams remains to be solved.