Issue 42, 2023

Ion sieving membrane for direct seawater anti-precipitation hydrogen evolution reaction electrode

Abstract

In seawater, severe hydroxide-based precipitation on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode surface is still a major stumbling block for direct seawater electrolysis. Here, we design a direct seawater HER electrode with excellent anti-precipitation performance based on an Ni(OH)2 nanofiltration membrane in situ grown on nickel foam (NF) at room temperature. The positively charged Ni(OH)2 membrane with nanometer-scale cracks realises an ion sieving function, which apparently hinders the transfer of Mg2+/Ca2+ ions to suppress precipitation, while rapidly transporting OH and H2O to ensure HER mass transfer. Therefore, the Ni(OH)2-membrane-decorated seawater HER electrode reduces precipitation by about 98.3% and exhibits high activity and stability. Moreover, in the application of a direct seawater electrolyser and magnesium seawater battery, the Ni(OH)2 membrane-decorated electrode also shows low precipitation and high stability. This work highlights a potential strategy to solve HER electrode precipitation in seawater via an ingenious electrode structure design.

Graphical abstract: Ion sieving membrane for direct seawater anti-precipitation hydrogen evolution reaction electrode

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
29 aug 2023
Accepted
03 okt 2023
First published
07 okt 2023
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 11830-11839

Ion sieving membrane for direct seawater anti-precipitation hydrogen evolution reaction electrode

Q. Liu, Z. Yan, J. Gao, H. Fan, M. Li and E. Wang, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 11830 DOI: 10.1039/D3SC04532C

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