A Current‐Adaptive Polyoxovanadates Protected Anode for Efficient and Stable Ampere‐Level Seawater Electrolysis

F Fei Yu X Xin Kang J Jiarong Liu (State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering) H Heming Liu (Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China) C Chuanliang Huang (Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China) Y Yixiang Wang (Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital & School of Stomatology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers) Y Yuxiao Dong (Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China) S Shuan Lin (Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China) Z Zihan Li Q Qiangmin Yu (Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China) B Bilu Liu (Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value-added Applications, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute and Institute of Materials Research)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Seawater electrolysis is promising for green hydrogen production, while intensified chloride corrosion at high‐current density (HCD) poses significant challenges to the activity and stability of the anodes. Conventional anode catalysts leverage anion electrostatic repulsion to repel chloride but often fail under industrially relevant ampere‐level HCD conditions, restricting their applications. Here we report a corrosion‐resistant cobalt‐vanadium‐oxide catalyst featuring in situ formed, current‐adaptive polyoxovanadates (POVs) for efficient and stable seawater electrolysis at HCD. As the current densities increase, the vanadate monomers dynamically self‐assemble into POVs with significantly increased steric hindrance to Cl − , thereby enhancing chloride repulsion. The catalyst works stably for over 5000 h at 1000 mA cm −2 with a low decay rate of 0.83 µV h − 1 in seawater electrolyte. Furthermore, the anion exchange membrane seawater electrolyzer only needs 1.64 V at 1000 mA cm −2 and maintains stable operation for over 1500 h. Technoeconomic analysis results show that H 2 production cost is $1.17/GGE H 2 , which surpasses the U.S. Department of Energy's $2.0/GGE H 2 target. This work reports a novel dynamic chloride repulsion behavior at HCD conditions and paves the way for robust corrosion‐resistant anode catalysts for seawater electrolysis.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 38, Issue 45
Published August 01, 2026
ISSN 0935-9648
Publisher Unknown Publisher

Journal Info

Advanced Materials

Unknown Publisher

ISSN: 0935-9648 Physical Sciences

Authors (11)

F

Fei Yu

X

Xin Kang

J

Jiarong Liu

State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

H

Heming Liu

Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China

C

Chuanliang Huang

Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China

Y

Yixiang Wang

Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital & School of Stomatology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers

Y

Yuxiao Dong

Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China

S

Shuan Lin

Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China

Z

Zihan Li

Q

Qiangmin Yu

Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value‐added Applications Key Laboratory of Electrocatalytic Materials and Green Hydrogen Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes Institute of Materials Research Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen People's Republic of China

B

Bilu Liu

Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Layered Materials for Value-added Applications, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute and Institute of Materials Research