Engineered Nickel–Iron Nitride Electrocatalyst for Industrial-Scale Seawater Hydrogen Production

Huashuai Hu, Xunlu Wang, Zhaorui Zhang, Jiahao Liu, Xiaohui Yan, Xiaoli Wang, Jiacheng Wang, J. Paul Attfield, Minghui Yang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Seawater electrolysis under alkaline conditions is a crucial technology for sustainable hydrogen production. However, achieving the long-term stability of the electrocatalyst remains a significant challenge. In this study, it is demonstrated that surface reconstruction of a transition metal nitride (TMN) can be used to develop a highly stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst. Rapid introduction of phosphate groups (PO43−) accelerates the in situ surface reconstruction of Ni3FeN, generating a catalyst, with a conductive nitride core and Cl-resistant hydroxide shell that demonstrates outstanding performance, maintaining stability for over 2500 h at 1 A cm−2 current density in alkaline seawater. In situ characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the dynamic evolution of active sites, providing insights into the mechanisms driving long-term stability. This work not only introduces an efficient approach to TMN-based catalyst design but also advances the development of durable electrocatalysts for industrial-scale seawater hydrogen production.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAdvanced Materials
Early online date25 Nov 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 25 Nov 2024

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • durability
  • electrocatalysis
  • oxygen evolution reaction
  • seawater splitting
  • transition metal nitride

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