♦ Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) in Bengaluru have developed an innovative method to enhance the performance of catalysts used in water splitting, a key process in producing clean hydrogen. The breakthrough addresses a long-standing challenge in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is slower and more energy-intensive than the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

♦ Researchers focused on improving coordination polymers (COPs), a class of materials formed by metal ions and organic molecules that are widely used in electrolysis. Although COPs hold promise, their catalytic activity has been limited because they are typically surrounded by water and solvent molecules, leaving few active sites available for reactions.

♦ The CeNS team, working under the Department of Science and Technology, used argon plasma treatment to activate the COPs by generating coordinatively unsaturated metal sites.