Abstract

Direct seawater electrolysis is promising for sustainable hydrogen gas (H2) production. However, the chloride ions in seawater lead to side reactions and corrosion, which result in a low efficiency and poor stability of the electrocatalyst and hinder the use of seawater electrolysis technology. Here we report a corrosion-resistant RuMoNi electrocatalyst, in which the in situ-formed molybdate ions on its surface repel chloride ions. The electrocatalyst works stably for over 3000 h at a high current density of 500 mA cm−2 in alkaline seawater electrolytes. Using the RuMoNi catalyst in an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer, we report an energy conversion efficiency of 77.9% and a current density of 1000 mA cm−2 at 1.72 V. The calculated price per gallon of gasoline equivalent (GGE) of the H2 produced is $ 0.85, which is lower than the 2026 technical target of $ 2.0/GGE set by the United Stated Department of Energy, thus, suggesting practicability of the technology.

Direct seawater electrolysis is promising for sustainable hydrogen production but suffers severe side reactions and corrosion. Here, the authors report a corrosion-resistant electrocatalyst with in situ-formed chloride-ion-repelling cation layer for efficient and long-lasting seawater oxidation.

Details

Title
A corrosion-resistant RuMoNi catalyst for efficient and long-lasting seawater oxidation and anion exchange membrane electrolyzer
Author
Kang, Xin 1 ; Yang, Fengning 2 ; Zhang, Zhiyuan 1 ; Liu, Heming 1 ; Ge, Shiyu 1 ; Hu, Shuqi 1 ; Li, Shaohai 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Luo, Yuting 3 ; Yu, Qiangmin 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Liu, Zhibo 4 ; Wang, Qiang 4 ; Ren, Wencai 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sun, Chenghua 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cheng, Hui-Ming 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Liu, Bilu 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  Tsinghua University, Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, P.R. China (GRID:grid.12527.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 3178) 
2  Tsinghua University, Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, P.R. China (GRID:grid.12527.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 3178); University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, Oxford, UK (GRID:grid.4991.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8948) 
3  Tsinghua University, Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, P.R. China (GRID:grid.12527.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 3178); University of Toronto, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 2157 2938) 
4  Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, P.R. China (GRID:grid.458487.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 1803 9309) 
5  Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Hawthorn, Australia (GRID:grid.1027.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0409 2862) 
6  Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, P.R. China (GRID:grid.458487.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 1803 9309); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology for Carbon Neutrality, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, P.R. China (GRID:grid.9227.e) (ISNI:0000000119573309); Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK (GRID:grid.5475.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0407 4824) 
Pages
3607
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39386-5
ProQuest document ID
2827014752
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.