Booker Travel Awardee shares conference experience
At Wolfson, research that addresses global challenges is a defining part and product of our multi-disciplinary community. One such example is the work of DPhil student Helen Engelhardt in the Department of Materials, whose research focuses on developing earth-abundant catalysts for green hydrogen production.
Advancing Green Hydrogen Production
The transition to low-carbon energy systems depends heavily on the development of green hydrogen, a clean fuel produced using renewable electricity. However, current state-of-the-art technologies – particularly proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers – rely on scarce and expensive metals such as iridium and platinum. These materials are required to withstand the highly corrosive acidic environments within the devices, but their limited availability presents a major barrier to large-scale deployment.
Helen’s research aims to address that challenge by exploring catalysts made from earth-abundant elements. By investigating how the composition, structure, and synthesis methods of these materials influence both their catalytic activity and stability in acidic conditions, her project seeks to identify viable alternatives that could enable more affordable and scalable hydrogen production.
Sharing Research at RSC Electrochem 2025
In September 2025, Helen presented her research at the RSC Electrochem conference, held at Northumbria University. The conference brought together researchers from across the electrochemistry community to discuss the latest developments in the field.
Helen’s presentation, titled “Cobalt Manganese Oxide Catalysts for Acidic Oxygen Evolution,” highlighted early findings from her PhD research. It focused on the synthesis and characterisation of cobalt–manganese oxide (Co–Mn) spinel nanoparticles, examining how variations in the cobalt-to-manganese ratio and different synthesis approaches affect catalytic performance and durability under acidic conditions.
The Value of Academic Exchange
Helen’s attendance at the conference was made possible by the Booker Travel Award, which supports Wolfson students presenting at conferences or conducting fieldwork related to their studies, both nationally and internationally.
We were delighted to hear from Helen that the opportunity to present her work to a specialist audience proved invaluable. Beyond the presentation itself, the conference provided a platform for in-depth discussions around one of the central challenges in the field: designing catalysts capable of operating efficiently in harsh reaction environments. The opportunity to engage with other researchers working toward similar goals helped situate Helen’s project within the wider global effort to make hydrogen a practical and sustainable fuel source. The insights gained – and the connections formed – will play a key role in shaping the next stages of Helen’s research.
