Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026
09:39
Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
Published on: March 1, 2020
8.0K
Interfacial Hydration Engineering Synchronizes Hydrogen Evolution and Brucite Mineralization in Seawater Electrolysis
Feiqing Sun1, Xinhao Su1, Mengjie Li1
1Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|March 11, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a nanostructured assembly for stable seawater electrolysis, efficiently producing green hydrogen (H2) and brucite minerals. This breakthrough overcomes interfacial challenges for scalable marine resource utilization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Seawater electrolysis for green hydrogen (H2) and brucite production faces challenges with bubble accumulation and uneven precipitation.
- These issues stem from competing gas evolution and magnesium crystallization at the electrode-interface, reducing efficiency and stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a nanostructured assembly for controlled seawater electrolysis.
- To decouple hydrogen evolution from brucite mineralization using interfacial hydration control.
- To achieve stable, high-current operation for co-production of green H2 and brucite.
Main Methods:
- Development of a nanostructured assembly using a cobalt phosphide catalyst and a superaerophobic copolymer matrix.
- Utilizing hydration-repulsive interfaces to manage water networks, expel H2 bubbles, and promote even brucite precipitation.
- Testing stability and efficiency at high current densities (1000 mA cm-2) over extended periods (>1000 h).
Main Results:
- The developed assembly sustained stable seawater electrolysis at 1000 mA cm-2 for over 1000 hours.
- Achieved stoichiometric co-production efficiency for both brucite minerals and green H2.
- A perylene diimide-integrated variant demonstrated 4.5 mA cm-2 photocurrent and 9.9% quantum efficiency in photoelectrocatalysis.
Conclusions:
- Interfacial hydration engineering provides a platform for synergistic H2 generation and value-added mineral production from seawater.
- This approach addresses the fundamental trade-off between gas evolution and mineralization in marine resource utilization.
- The study enables scalable and efficient utilization of marine resources for sustainable energy and materials.
Related Concept Videos
01:06Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
1.0K
Interfacial electrochemical methods focus on the phenomena occurring at the boundary between an electrode and a solution, as opposed to bulk methods that concentrate on the solution's overall properties. These interfacial methods are classified as either static or dynamic based on the presence of a nonzero current in the electrochemical cell and the consistency of analyte concentrations. Static methods, such as potentiometry, measure the cell's potential without any significant current...
1.0K
01:24Hydration of Cement
1.2K
Hydration of cement is a chemical reaction between cement particles and water. This process occurs primarily through two mechanisms: through-solution and topochemical. In the through-solution process, anhydrous compounds dissolve into their constituents, hydrates form in the solution, and then precipitate from the supersaturated solution. The topochemical process involves solid-state reactions at the cement particle surface. The through-solution process dominates the topochemical process at the...
1.2K
02:34Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
9.9K
The rate of acid-catalyzed hydration of alkenes depends on the alkene's structure, as the presence of alkyl substituents at the double bond can significantly influence the rate.
9.9K
02:42Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration
18.6K
Water and other polar molecules are attracted to ions. The electrostatic attraction between an ion and a molecule with a dipole is called an ion-dipole attraction. These attractions play an important role in the dissolution of ionic compounds in water.
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...
18.6K
03:00Electrolysis
31.4K
In a galvanic cell, the electrical work is done by a redox system on its surroundings as electrons produced by the spontaneous redox reactions are transferred through an external circuit. Alternatively, an external circuit does work on a redox system by imposing a voltage sufficient to drive an otherwise nonspontaneous reaction in a process known as electrolysis. For instance, recharging a battery involves the use of an external power source to drive the spontaneous (discharge) cell reaction in...
31.4K
02:30Water: A Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base
60.6K
The reaction between a Brønsted-Lowry acid and water is called acid ionization. For example, when hydrogen fluoride dissolves in water and ionizes, protons are transferred from hydrogen fluoride molecules to water molecules, yielding hydronium ions and fluoride ions:
60.6K