Efficient bubble/precipitate traffic enables stable seawater reduction electrocatalysis at industrial-level current densities

Abstract

Seawater electroreduction is attractive for future H2 production and intermittent energy storage, which has been hindered by aggressive Mg2+/Ca2+ precipitation at cathodes and consequent poor stability. Here we present a vital microscopic bubble/precipitate traffic system (MBPTS) by constructing honeycomb-type 3D cathodes for robust anti-precipitation seawater reduction (SR), which massively/uniformly release small-sized H2 bubbles to almost every corner of the cathode to repel Mg2+/Ca2+ precipitates without a break. Noticeably, the optimal cathode with built-in MBPTS not only enables state-of-the-art alkaline SR performance (1000-h stable operation at –1 A cm−2) but also is highly specialized in catalytically splitting natural seawater into H2 with the greatest anti-precipitation ability. Low precipitation amounts after prolonged tests under large current densities reflect genuine efficacy by our MBPTS. Additionally, a flow-type electrolyzer based on our optimal cathode stably functions at industrially-relevant 500 mA cm−2 for 150 h in natural seawater while unwaveringly sustaining near-100% H2 Faradic efficiency. Note that the estimated price (~1.8 US$/kgH2) is even cheaper than the US Department of Energy’s goal price (2 US$/kgH2).