Synergistic chloride resistance via hydrogen-bond network dynamic optimization and electrostatic repulsion for alkaline seawater oxidation

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65100-5

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Synergistic chloride resistance via hydrogen-bond network dynamic optimization and electrostatic repulsion for alkaline seawater oxidation

Wei Zuo^a,1, Mingyu Liu^a,1, Shengjun Sun^a, Yu Yang^b, Zixiao Li^a, Xixi Zhang^a, Chaoxin Yang^a, Hefeng Wang^a, Imran Shakir^c, Xuefei Liu^b,*, Qian Liu^d,*, Xuping Sun^a,e,*, Bo Tang^a,f

^aCollege of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China;
^bSchool of Physics and Electronic Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China;
^cDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia;
^dInstitute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, Sichuan, China;
^eCenter for High Altitude Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China;
^fLaoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266237, Shandong, China

Received:2026-01-09 Accepted:2026-01-09
Contact: *E-mail: xpsun@uestc.edu.cn (X. Sun), 201307129@gznu.edu.cn (X. Liu), liuqian@cdu.edu.cn (Q. Liu).
About author:¹Contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Abstract: Seawater electrolysis, while promising for sustainable hydrogen production, is fundamentally challenged by the relentless chloride ions (Cl^-)-induced corrosion, which impairs catalyst stability during long-term operation. We report a polyhydroquinone (PHQ)-modified electrocatalyst, where the redox-active PHQ layer is firmly coated to CoFe layered double hydroxide (CoFe LDH) surface through a strong hydrogen-bond network. Theoretical calculations and characterization techniques collectively elucidate that the unique interface creates an in situ protective coating, which effectively optimizes the composition of the interfacial water and prevents Cl^- attack. Such a catalyst shows outstanding performance in alkaline seawater, requiring an overpotential of only 335 mV to reach 1 A cm^-2 and exhibiting remarkable durability for 2000 h even at high current densities (j = 1, 1.5, and 2 A cm^-2). Furthermore, the constructed alkaline anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer achieves a j of 1 A cm^-2 at a low voltage of 2.55 V, significantly outperforming the benchmark Pt/C/NF||RuO₂/NF.

Key words: CoFe layered double hydroxide, Alkaline seawater oxidation, Anodic corrosion, Electrostatic repulsion, Hydrogen-bond network

Wei Zuo, Mingyu Liu, Shengjun Sun, Yu Yang, Zixiao Li, Xixi Zhang, Chaoxin Yang, Hefeng Wang, Imran Shakir, Xuefei Liu, Qian Liu, Xuping Sun, Bo Tang. Synergistic chloride resistance via hydrogen-bond network dynamic optimization and electrostatic repulsion for alkaline seawater oxidation[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65100-5.

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