Interfacial water engineering for enhanced pure water electrolysis.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Hydrophilic materials like Nafion are crucial for creating interfacial water zones with unique properties.
• Understanding the behavior of self-organized water (SOW) and protonated water (PW) near these surfaces is key to improving water splitting efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel self-organized water (SOW) electrolyzer utilizing a plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO)-treated platinum-titanium (PEO-Pt/Ti) heterostructure electrode.
• To investigate the impact of infrared (IR) light on SOW and PW for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance.
• To demonstrate a scalable and cost-effective strategy for sustainable hydrogen production.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a PEO-Pt/Ti heterostructure electrode.
• Investigation of interfacial water properties under mid-IR irradiation.
• Electrochemical characterization of the SOW electrolyzer for HER performance.
• Long-term stability testing of the developed system.

Main Results:

• Mid-IR irradiation significantly expanded the SOW, facilitating interfacial water dissociation and enhancing water splitting.
• The PEO-Pt/Ti electrode improved electronic states, active surface area, conductivity, and lowered activation energy barriers.
• Achieved current densities of 100 mA cm⁻² at 3.1 V and superior H₂ production at 3.5 V.
• Demonstrated stable operation exceeding 25 hours, highlighting durability and efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The novel SOW electrolyzer with PEO-Pt/Ti electrodes offers exceptional performance and durability for hydrogen production.
• The synergistic effect of optimized SOW and advanced electrode engineering provides a scalable strategy for sustainable hydrogen generation.
• This work advances renewable energy technologies by addressing key challenges in clean energy production.