Tiny Gas Bubbles Cause Significant Efficiency Losses of up to 25 Percent in Hydrogen Production

NYU Tandon researchers reveal how tiny bubbles on electrodes disrupt water electrolysis, causing major energy losses in the quest for clean hydrogen fuel.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 25, 2026, 8:58 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from EurekAlert!

The Overlooked Kinetic Barrier in Green Hydrogen Generation

The pursuit of hydrogen as a primary clean energy carrier faces a physical hurdle far more common than rare earth catalyst shortages, the behavior of microscopic bubbles. In a recent analysis published in the journal Joule, researchers from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering suggest that the accumulation of gas on electrode surfaces acts as a significant efficiency drain. During the process of water electrolysis, electricity is utilized to partition water into hydrogen and oxygen, yet the resulting gases naturally cling to the reaction sites. This physical presence creates a mechanical barrier that prevents further reactions, effectively stalling the production cycle at the very moment it begins.

Quantifying the Energetic Toll of Gas Accumulation

According to Darjan Podbevšek, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study, these bubble dynamics represent a frequently ignored bottleneck in electrochemical engineering. The study indicates that the energy lost specifically to bubble related interference can range from 5 percent to a staggering 25 percent of the total electrical input. These losses are not merely theoretical, they translate directly into higher operational costs for industrial decarbonization efforts. As bubbles adhere to the surface, they increase electrical resistance and force the system to work harder to maintain the same rate of gas production, a factor that becomes critical as industries like steelmaking and shipping look to scale hydrogen use.

The Microscale Dynamics of Bubble Carpets

The complexity of the problem stems from the way gas evolves across multiple physical scales within the reactor. Starting as tiny nuclei at microscopic imperfections on the electrode, these bubbles grow through surface tension and local temperature variances. Miguel A. Modestino, the Director of the Sustainable Engineering Initiative at NYU Tandon, notes that the way these bubbles interact determine their overall impact on the system. When individual bubbles merge, they can form dense layers known as bubble carpets. These layers fundamentally alter the interaction between the electrode and the electrolyte, creating a blanket that isolates the electrical components from the liquid reactants.