Dual Chloride Confinement in Noble Metal‐Doped NiV LDH Catalysts Enables Stable Industrial-Level Seawater Electrolysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new catalyst design that enables stable and efficient hydrogen production from seawater by addressing chloride corrosion issues.

Contribution

The dual chloride confinement strategy in noble metal-doped NiV LDHs offers a novel solution to chloride corrosion in seawater electrolysis.

Findings

Ir-NiV LDH achieves nearly 100% oxygen evolution reaction selectivity and stability over 2750 hours at 500 mA cm−2.

Ru doping enables a low overpotential of 195 mV and >2350 h durability for hydrogen evolution.

The Ru-NiVLDH||Ir-NiVLDH system shows industrial-level performance in alkaline seawater.

Abstract

Noble metal doping into NiV-layered double hydroxides optimizes the electronic structure of active sites, significantly enhancing its catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction.
A “dual chloride confinement” strategy is proposed to overcome chloride corrosion in seawater electrolysis by synergizing strong adsorption (Ir-Cl) with electrostatic repulsion (VO43−).Offers a practical route toward economically viable and sustainable hydrogen production from seawater.

Noble metal doping into NiV-layered double hydroxides optimizes the electronic structure of active sites, significantly enhancing its catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction.

A “dual chloride confinement” strategy is proposed to overcome chloride corrosion in seawater electrolysis by synergizing strong adsorption (Ir-Cl) with electrostatic repulsion (VO43−).

Offers a practical route toward economically viable and sustainable hydrogen production from seawater.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40820-026-02067-1.

Seawater electrolysis is an appealing route toward sustainable hydrogen production, yet its practical deployment is hindered by severe chloride-induced corrosion and parasitic chlorine oxidation. Here, we report noble metal-doped NiV layered double hydroxides (LDHs) that integrate electronic modulation with a dual chloride confinement mechanism. Ir incorporation simultaneously establishes strong Ir-Cl coordination and dynamically regenerated VO43− layers, producing an adaptive electrostatic shield that effectively suppresses chloride penetration. As a result, Ir-NiV LDH delivers nearly 100% oxygen evolution reaction selectivity and outstanding stability over 2750 h at 500 mA cm−2. Meanwhile, Ru doping optimizes the hydrogen evolution pathway, enabling a low overpotential of 195 mV and >2350 h durability. When paired in a twso-electrode electrolyzer, the Ru-NiVLDH||Ir-NiVLDH system exhibits industrial-level performance and unprecedented robustness in alkaline seawater. This dual chloride confinement concept provides a general framework for catalyst design in corrosive ionic environments, extending beyond seawater splitting toward other electrochemical energy conversion processes.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40820-026-02067-1.

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