Scientists at Monash University have made a significant advancement in the field of green hydrogen production by tackling the scarcity of iridium, a key element in current production methods. Lead study author Associate Professor Alexandr N. Simonov highlighted the challenge of limited iridium availability for building the necessary electrolysers to decarbonize energy and chemical industries globally. To address this issue, researchers have been exploring alternative anode catalysts using cheaper and more abundant materials like cobalt. The recent study, published in Nature Energy, involved a collaborative effort with institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and Swinburne University of Technology. The research revealed that cobalt catalysts' degradation and catalytic activity are separate processes, contrary to previous assumptions. This discovery opens avenues for designing more stable and efficient cobalt-based anodes for green hydrogen production. Associate Professor Rosalie Hocking emphasized the potential impact of these findings on achieving cheaper and large-scale green hydrogen production. By stabilizing cobalt-based catalysts for extended use, a major obstacle in the global application of this technology can be overcome. The team's work, supported by various organizations including the Australian Research Council and international partners, aims to make the production of green hydrogen sustainable, scalable, and economically feasible.