3D Bifunctional Fe/NiWB Monolithic Electrocatalyst for Industrial Hectoampere-Level Current Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis driven by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is recognized as a highly promising strategy for low-cost industrial-scale hydrogen production. However, the lack of durable and highly active electrocatalysts hinders the development of this strategy. Herein, a promising bifunctional Fe/NiWB@MS monolithic electrocatalyst is successfully developed through facile electroless plating and chemical etching methods. The Fe/NiWB@MS electrocatalyst requires only 113 mV and 267 mV to achieve 100 mA cm^-2 for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in a 1.0 M KOH solution. An AEM electrolyzer using Fe/NiWB@MS as both the cathode and the anode achieves a current density of 1 A cm^-2 at a cell voltage of 1.84 V. This performance underscores its significant potential for industrial hydrogen production. This study not only introduces an efficient approach to the design of transition metal boride based electrocatalysts but also significantly advances the development of bifunctional electrocatalyst technologies for industrial-scale hydrogen production.