The electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen, especially when the process is powered by renewable sources, holds significant promise for a carbon-neutral future. Dr. Prashanth Menezes and his team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin delved into exploring innovative catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrolysis, essential for efficient hydrogen production. Their focus was on clathrates, specifically Ba8Ni6Ge40, a material known for its unique crystalline structure. The team's experiments revealed that these clathrates outperformed traditional nickel-based catalysts in terms of efficiency and stability at industrial current densities. Through structural analysis, they found that the clathrate particles undergo a transformation in the electrolyte, resulting in the creation of highly porous nickel layers that significantly enhance catalytic activity. The discovery of clathrates as effective OER catalysts opens up new possibilities for advancing hydrogen production processes. The researchers anticipate that other transition metal clathrates could also exhibit similar promising characteristics, potentially heralding a breakthrough in the development of electrocatalytic materials for sustainable hydrogen production.