A sodium-ion-conducted asymmetric electrolyzer to lower the operation voltage for direct seawater electrolysis

Hydrogen produced from neutral seawater electrolysis faces many challenges including high energy consumption, the corrosion/side reactions caused by Cl-, and the blockage of active sites by Ca2+/Mg2+ precipitates. Herein, we design a pH-asymmetric electrolyzer with a Na+ exchange membrane for direct seawater electrolysis, which can simultaneously prevent Cl- corrosion and Ca2+/Mg2+ precipitation and harvest the chemical potentials between the different electrolytes to reduce the required voltage. In-situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal that water dissociation can be promoted with a catalyst based on atomically dispersed Pt anchored to Ni-Fe-P nanowires with a reduced energy barrier (by 0.26 eV), thus accelerating the hydrogen evolution kinetics in seawater. Consequently, the asymmetric electrolyzer exhibits current densities of 10 mA cm(-2) and 100 mA cm(-2) at voltages of 1.31 V and 1.46 V, respectively. It can also reach 400 mA cm(-2) at a low voltage of 1.66 V at 80 & DEG;C, corresponding to the electricity cost of US$1.36 per kg of H-2 ($0.031/kW h for the electricity bill), lower than the United States Department of Energy 2025 target (US$1.4 per kg of H-2). Hydrogen produced directly from neutral seawater is promising but challenging due to seawater's complex composition. Here, the authors report a Na+-conducted pH-asymmetric electrolyzer that can directly split seawater into hydrogen with low electricity cost and nearly zero chloride interference.

Automated summary

By designing a pH-asymmetric electrolyzer with a Na+ exchange membrane, the authors have achieved efficient and low-cost hydrogen production from direct seawater electrolysis. This electrolyzer can prevent chloride corrosion and calcium/magnesium precipitation, and utilize the chemical potentials between different electrolytes to reduce the required voltage.