Integrated electrode design based on metal-organic frameworks for anion exchange membrane electrolyzers under high...

The development of efficient and durable electrodes is crucial for realizing industrialized hydrogen production via anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). However, limited attention has been given to preparing three-dimensional integrated electrodes through the coupling of gas diffusion layers and catalyst layers. Herein, an iron-cobalt (FeCo) gallate metal-organic framework (MOF) is controllably deposited on nickel foam (denotedas FeCo-gallate_x/NF), serving as both the integrated cathode and anode of AEMWEs. These electrodes consist of MOF-coated catalyst layers and uncoated regions of the NF substrate serving as gas diffusion layers, where the anchored MOF material exhibits dual functionality as a catalyst for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This integrated electrode design significantly reduces the ohmic and mass transport resistances, while improving the kinetics. Consequently, the proposed electrode exhibits impressive performance for both OER and HER under alkaline conditions, enabling efficient overall water splitting. Additionally, the assembled AEMWEs achieve a small potential of only 1.63 V at 1 A cm^-2, along with durable stability for 800 h at the same current density. This work provides an innovative idea for developing high-performance and durable electrodes of AEMWEs.