Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes

Seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production faces inherent challenges, including side reactions, corrosion, and scaling, stemming from the intricate composition of seawater. In response, researchers have turned to continuous water splitting using forward osmosis (FO)-driven seawater desalination....

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Main Authors: Ke Shi, Hongyi Wan, Keyu Wang, Fumohan Fang, Shiyi Li, Yixing Wang, Linfeng Lei, Linzhou Zhuang, Zhi Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-03-01
Series:Green Energy & Environment
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246802572400102X
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author Ke Shi
Hongyi Wan
Keyu Wang
Fumohan Fang
Shiyi Li
Yixing Wang
Linfeng Lei
Linzhou Zhuang
Zhi Xu
author_facet Ke Shi
Hongyi Wan
Keyu Wang
Fumohan Fang
Shiyi Li
Yixing Wang
Linfeng Lei
Linzhou Zhuang
Zhi Xu
author_sort Ke Shi
collection DOAJ
description Seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production faces inherent challenges, including side reactions, corrosion, and scaling, stemming from the intricate composition of seawater. In response, researchers have turned to continuous water splitting using forward osmosis (FO)-driven seawater desalination. However, the necessity of a neutral electrolyte hampers this strategy due to the limited current density and scarcity of precious metals. Herein, this study applies alkali-durable FO membranes to enable self-sustaining seawater splitting, which can selectively withdraw water molecules, from seawater, via concentration gradient. The membranes demonstrates outstanding perm-selectivity of water/ions (∼5830 mol mol−1) during month-long alkaline resistance tests, preventing electrolyte leaching (>97% OH− retention) while maintaining ∼95% water balance (VFO = Velectrolysis) via preserved concentration gradient for consistent forward-osmosis influx of water molecules. With the consistent electrolyte environment protected by the polyamide FO membranes, the NiFe-Ar-P catalyst exhibits promising performance: a sustain current density of 360 mA cm−2 maintained at the cell voltage of 2.10 V and 2.15 V for 360 h in the offshore seawater, preventing Cl/Br corrosion (98% rejection) and Mg/Ca passivation (99.6% rejection). This research marks a significant advancement towards efficient and durable seawater-based hydrogen production.
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spelling doaj-art-3eaf52f02f4548d78851db6b93bd4eec2025-08-20T02:56:02ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Green Energy & Environment2468-02572025-03-0110351852710.1016/j.gee.2024.04.003Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranesKe Shi0Hongyi Wan1Keyu Wang2Fumohan Fang3Shiyi Li4Yixing Wang5Linfeng Lei6Linzhou Zhuang7Zhi Xu8State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Institute of Science and Technology, Yueyang, Hunan, Yueyang, 414000, China; Corresponding authors.State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Suzhou Laboratory, Suzhou, 215000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Suzhou Laboratory, Suzhou, 215000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Corresponding authors.State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Corresponding authors.Seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production faces inherent challenges, including side reactions, corrosion, and scaling, stemming from the intricate composition of seawater. In response, researchers have turned to continuous water splitting using forward osmosis (FO)-driven seawater desalination. However, the necessity of a neutral electrolyte hampers this strategy due to the limited current density and scarcity of precious metals. Herein, this study applies alkali-durable FO membranes to enable self-sustaining seawater splitting, which can selectively withdraw water molecules, from seawater, via concentration gradient. The membranes demonstrates outstanding perm-selectivity of water/ions (∼5830 mol mol−1) during month-long alkaline resistance tests, preventing electrolyte leaching (>97% OH− retention) while maintaining ∼95% water balance (VFO = Velectrolysis) via preserved concentration gradient for consistent forward-osmosis influx of water molecules. With the consistent electrolyte environment protected by the polyamide FO membranes, the NiFe-Ar-P catalyst exhibits promising performance: a sustain current density of 360 mA cm−2 maintained at the cell voltage of 2.10 V and 2.15 V for 360 h in the offshore seawater, preventing Cl/Br corrosion (98% rejection) and Mg/Ca passivation (99.6% rejection). This research marks a significant advancement towards efficient and durable seawater-based hydrogen production.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246802572400102XAlkaline water electrolysisForward osmosisSelf-sustaining seawater splittingHydrogen evolutionReal seawater
spellingShingle Ke Shi
Hongyi Wan
Keyu Wang
Fumohan Fang
Shiyi Li
Yixing Wang
Linfeng Lei
Linzhou Zhuang
Zhi Xu
Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
Green Energy & Environment
Alkaline water electrolysis
Forward osmosis
Self-sustaining seawater splitting
Hydrogen evolution
Real seawater
title Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
title_full Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
title_fullStr Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
title_full_unstemmed Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
title_short Self-sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
title_sort self sustaining alkaline seawater electrolysis via forward osmosis membranes
topic Alkaline water electrolysis
Forward osmosis
Self-sustaining seawater splitting
Hydrogen evolution
Real seawater
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246802572400102X
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