Case studies
Green hydrogen is a carbon-free fuel produced by using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This fuel is essential for decarbonising hard-to-abate industries like heavy shipping, steel manufacturing, and long-haul aviation, where traditional battery technology is not a viable solution. A major bottleneck in this process is the Oxygen Evolution Reaction, which is slow and requires high energy input. To make green hydrogen production more efficient and economically viable, scientists must find ways to speed up this reaction.
MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology researchers at the University of Twente utilised Silson’s 100 nm thick, 1 mm square SiN membranes to investigate La₀.₆₇Sr₀.₃₃MnO₃ perovskite thin-film catalysts. By providing a robust, X-ray transparent window, Silson’s membranes enabled the team to monitor the catalysts performance in-situ.
This study, published as a 2026 preprint on ChemRxiv, revealed a direct link between the catalyst’s internal magnetic order and its catalytic properties. These findings provide a new “spin-dependent” blueprint for optimising the design of high-efficiency catalysts.
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