ARBOK-TEGARU: A Ruthenium-on-TEGA Electrode for Affordable Next-Generation Fuel Cells and Electrolysers

Hydrogen energy is limited less by hydrogen than by the noble metal in its electrodes. Ruthenium output is about 30 t a year and its 2026 price is about USD 62,590 per kg, so every buyer on the market competes for the same supply. ARBOK-TEGARU is an electrode with 2-3 atomic layers of ruthenium on a base of thermally expanded graphite ARBOK (TEGA). Its advantage is price and availability rather than a record parameter: TEGA costs USD 50 per kg, and ruthenium is a by-product of effluent treatment by ARBOK-Ruthenium. Expected performance in an anion-exchange-membrane electrolyser is about 10 A/cm2 at 2.0 V and 80 degrees C, with about 75% less noble metal than platinum catalysts. The result is a route to fuel cells and electrolysers of the new generation that are affordable and usable everywhere.