Local-atomic environment engineering of Ni-sites for industrial hydrogen production from seawater

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65051-6

Abstract

Abstract: Seawater electrolysis integrated with renewable energy sources represents a green and sustainable pathway for hydrogen production, yet its practical application is severely constrained by the lack of cost-effective, highly active, and scalable electrodes. Herein, we report the construction of a high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode by engineering the local-atomic environment of Ni sites through vanadium oxide modification. This optimized electrode delivers current densities of 500/1000 mA cm^-2 at only 283/361 mV in alkaline seawater. Impressively, a kW-scale alkaline seawater electrolyzer achieves continuous operation at an industrial-level current up to 25 A for over 880 h with an ultra-low degradation rate of 34.1 μV h^-1. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations reveal a volcano-type relationship between the chemical state of Ni and the adsorption energy of the key intermediate H* (∆G_H_*), as well as the potential of zero charge (PZC) of the electrode. Furthermore, in-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirms that a lower PZC promotes the formation of more free water molecules near the electrode surface, thereby facilitating the HER process. This work uncovers atomic environment-governed HER mechanisms and develops a scalable, industrially stable seawater electrolysis electrode, bridging lab-innovation to practical hydrogen production.

Key words: Local-atomic environment, Ni-sites, Hydrogen evolution, Interfacial water, Potential of zero charge

Pengfei Wu, Zhihao Lou, Yuanshuo Ma, Pengfei Wang, Da Xue, Fangyi Ma, Xuejing Cui, Guangbo Liu, Xin Zhou, Erdong Wang, Luhua Jiang. Local-atomic environment engineering of Ni-sites for industrial hydrogen production from seawater[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65051-6.

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URL: https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65051-6

https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/Y2026/V/I/5

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