Ultra‐Durable Solar‐Driven Seawater Electrolysis for Sustainable Hydrogen Production
Abstract Ions in seawater hinder direct sewage electrolysis due to the extreme corrosion of Cl − to the anode and reaction of Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ on the cathode producing solid substances, which reduce the electrolytic efficiency. However, traditional desalination consuming fossil fuel with massive CO 2 emissions threatens human survival. Therefore, zero‐carbon emission, ultra‐durable, large‐scale production of freshwater from seawater for water electrolysis is urgently needed. Herein, a multifunctional system for seawater is demonstrated electrolysis based on ultra‐durable solar desalination outdoors. The solar evaporators reach an evaporation flux of 1.88 kg m −2 h −1 with a photothermal conversion efficiency of solar energy as high as 91.3% with excellent ultra‐durable salt resistance even for saturated saltwater due to the Marangoni effects. Moreover, the condensation of pure water from solar desalination based on the evaporation system reaches 0.54 L m −2 h −1 outdoors, which is suitable for a 20 cm × 20 cm engineered electrode equipped with a Janus membrane powered by a solar panel to produce H 2 outdoors. The ultrafast unidirectional transport of H 2 bubbles enabled by Janus membranes can greatly improve the H 2 production efficiency at a rate approaching 85 mL h −1 for continuous 24 h outdoors.
Authors
- Ziheng Zhan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1716-2586)
- Yong Shuai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9379-9701)
- Mingzhu Xie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7591-1146)
- Xiaolong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4210-840X)
- Zhaolong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2967-4546)
- Yinfeng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7673-6706)
- Ciwei Wu
Institutions
- Jiangnan University (CN)
- Hunan University (CN)
- Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2024-10-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202416014
- Citations
- 20
- Primary Topic
- Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.39
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province