Haq Tanveer Ul, Tahir Aleena, Smari Mourad, Haik Mohammad Yousef Al, Haik Yousef
Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, P. O. Box 27272, UAE.
Department of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, SBA School of Science & Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), DHA, Lahore, 54792, Pakistan.
Small. 2025 Jun;21(24):e2501376. doi: 10.1002/smll.202501376. Epub 2025 Apr 27.
The reliance on high-purity water for hydrogen production increases the strain on freshwater resources. Direct seawater electrolysis is a promising alternative but is impeded by complex challenges such as chloride-induced corrosion and electrode surface fouling. Herein, a microenvironment-engineered, multilayered electrode design for sustainable seawater electrolysis is presented, utilizing the strategic integration of carbonate (CO₃⁻) Lewis base sites anchored on a Cobalt layered double hydroxides (Co LDH) embedded within a NiBO nanostructure supported by a Ni(OH)₂/NF microarray. Incorporating boron into the Ni-OOH matrix forms a protective metaborate film, preventing metal dissolution and non-conductive oxide formation, thereby enhancing current collector corrosion resistance in saline seawater conditions. The CO₃⁻ Lewis base covalently functionalized on Co-active sites, establishes a dynamic interaction that continuously splits water molecules while sequestering H⁺ ions, generating a localized acidic microenvironment. This acidification enhances OER kinetics and protects against chloride attack and precipitate formation, addressing key stability and efficiency barriers in direct seawater electrolysis. The advanced anode design achieves an industrially viable current density of 1.0 A cm⁻ at 1.65 V under standard conditions, marking a significant step toward scalable, desalination-free hydrogen production directly from seawater.
对高纯水制氢的依赖增加了淡水资源的压力。直接海水电解是一种有前景的替代方案，但受到诸如氯化物诱导的腐蚀和电极表面污染等复杂挑战的阻碍。在此，提出了一种用于可持续海水电解的微环境工程多层电极设计，利用锚定在嵌入由Ni(OH)₂/NF微阵列支撑的NiBO纳米结构内的钴层状双氢氧化物（Co LDH）上的碳酸根（CO₃⁻）路易斯碱位点的战略整合。将硼掺入Ni - OOH基质中形成保护性偏硼酸盐膜，防止金属溶解和非导电氧化物形成，从而增强在含盐海水条件下集流体的耐腐蚀性。在Co活性位点上共价功能化的CO₃⁻路易斯碱建立了一种动态相互作用，该相互作用在隔离H⁺离子的同时持续分解水分子，产生局部酸性微环境。这种酸化增强了析氧反应动力学，并防止氯化物侵蚀和沉淀形成，解决了直接海水电解中的关键稳定性和效率障碍。先进的阳极设计在标准条件下于1.65 V时实现了1.0 A cm⁻的工业可行电流密度，标志着朝着直接从海水中进行可扩展、无脱盐制氢迈出了重要一步。
