Work

Chloride‐resistant seawater electrolysis via hydroxyl network‐tailored NiFe hydroxide catalysts on stainless steel

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Hydrogen production via seawater electrolysis is limited by chloride corrosion and slow oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics. Here, we present hydroxyl network‐engineered NiFe hydroxide catalysts on stainless steel (SS‐NiFe‐X) via a rapid one‐step electrodeposition strategy. During OER, the NiFe hydroxide layer transforms into an active NiFeOOH/NiOOH phase, while in situ‐generated surface hydroxyl networks establish hydrogen‐bond‐mediated pathways that simultaneously enhance OER activity and shield against chloride attack. SS‐NiFe‐60, with a 500 nm oxide layer, sustains 400 mA cm−2 for over 500 h in an aggressive chloride environment (1.0 M KOH + 2.0 M NaCl), while the bare SS experiences complete deactivation within 1 h. Operando studies reveal that the hydroxyl network could block chloride penetration by electrostatic repulsion and facilitate OER intermediate adsorption, validated by a membrane electrode assembly electrolyzer stably delivering 250 mA cm−2 for over 100 h. This scalable design bridges mechanistic insights with industrial seawater electrolysis applications.

Source: AIChE Journal

DOI: 10.1002/aic.18872

Authors: Xuanze Wan, Jiankun Li, Linfeng Lei, Jie Wang, Linzhou Zhuang, Zhi Xu

Institutions: East China University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China