The latest experiments from Strasser's research group indicate that substantial increases in efficiency may also be possible for the reaction splitting water to produce oxygen
in electrolysers, for which the even more expensive noble metal iridium is used.
It will focus on catalyst development for four applications: proton exchange membrane fuel cells to convert stored energy
in non-fossil fuels into electricity;
electrolysers for splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen — a potential clean fuel cell source; syngas, a mixture of CO and H2, which is generated from coal, gas and biomass, and widely used as a key intermediate
in the chemical industry; and lithium - air batteries.