Self‐Regenerating 3D Protective Network Breaks the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Industrial Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

ABSTRACT In industrial alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), the long‐term operational stability of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts under harsh conditions—including high current densities, concentrated alkaline electrolytes, and elevated temperatures—often takes precedence over intrinsic catalytic activity. Nevertheless, existing strategies aimed at enhancing catalyst stability remain insufficient. Herein, we propose a stability‐oriented alloy design strategy based on incorporating corrosion‐resistant Cr into a dual‐phase MnFeCoNiMo high‐entropy alloy. Notably, thermodynamically driven forces promote the spontaneous enrichment of Cr within the Mo‐rich domains. Subsequent selective dealloying enables the in situ formation of a self‐assembled, non‐occlusive 3D (Cr, M)O x ‐enriched protective network. Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) reveal the continuous self‐regenerating behavior and dynamic structural reorganization of this network during long‐term operation, which effectively reconciles the classic activity–stability trade‐off. As a result, the nanoporous (np) HEA‐CrMo electrode exhibits OER overpotentials of 184 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and 252 mV at 100 mA cm −2 , and sustains stable operation for over 5000 h at 1000 mA cm −2 in 6.0 M KOH. Furthermore, its scalability is demonstrated in a commercial alkaline water electrolyzer with an effective reaction area of 70.9 cm 2 during a 15‐day accelerated stress test.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Energy Materials
Published
2026-04-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202505516
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Self‐Regenerating 3D Protective Network Breaks the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Industrial Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Enzuo Liu, Rongrong Shi, Feng Gao, Zheyuan Ji et al.
Advanced Energy Materials
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Self‐Regenerating 3D Protective Network Breaks the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Industrial Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Enzuo Liu, Rongrong Shi, Feng Gao, Zheyuan Ji, Bing Li, Chunnian He, Ji Tang, Fang He, Naiqin Zhao, Chunsheng Shi, Biao Chen, Liying Ma
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT In industrial alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), the long‐term operational stability of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts under harsh conditions—including high current densities, concentrated alkaline electrolytes, and elevated temperatures—often takes precedence over intrinsic catalytic activity. Nevertheless, existing strategies aimed at enhancing catalyst stability remain insufficient. Herein, we propose a stability‐oriented alloy design strategy based on incorporating corrosion‐resistant Cr into a dual‐phase MnFeCoNiMo high‐entropy alloy. Notably, thermodynamically driven forces promote the spontaneous enrichment of Cr within the Mo‐rich domains. Subsequent selective dealloying enables the in situ formation of a self‐assembled, non‐occlusive 3D (Cr, M)O x ‐enriched protective network. Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) reveal the continuous self‐regenerating behavior and dynamic structural reorganization of this network during long‐term operation, which effectively reconciles the classic activity–stability trade‐off. As a result, the nanoporous (np) HEA‐CrMo electrode exhibits OER overpotentials of 184 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and 252 mV at 100 mA cm −2 , and sustains stable operation for over 5000 h at 1000 mA cm −2 in 6.0 M KOH. Furthermore, its scalability is demonstrated in a commercial alkaline water electrolyzer with an effective reaction area of 70.9 cm 2 during a 15‐day accelerated stress test.

Advanced Energy Materials
Tianjin University of Technology (CN), Tianjin University (CN), Tianjin Energy Investment Group (China) (CN), South China University of Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 28%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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