Efficient and durable seawater electrolysis with a V 2 O 3 -protected catalyst

The ocean, a vast hydrogen reservoir, holds potential for sustainable energy and water development. Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen production under harsh seawater conditions is challenging. Here, we propose incorporating a protective V 2 O 3 layer to modulate the microcatalytic environment and create in situ dual-active sites consisting of low-loaded Pt and Ni 3 N. This catalyst demonstrates an ultralow overpotential of 80 mV at 500 mA cm −2 , a mass activity 30.86 times higher than Pt-C and maintains at least 500 hours in seawater. Moreover, the assembled anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWE) demonstrate superior activity and durability even under demanding industrial…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: B13012, 92163117, 52311530113, 61971405, 52072389
• SA
  Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  Award: EP/N029119/1
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Award: B13012