# Enhancing the Selective OH− Adsorption for Durable Alkaline Seawater Oxidation at Industrial Current Densities

## TL;DR

A new catalyst improves seawater electrolysis by enhancing OH− adsorption and reducing corrosion, enabling efficient and durable hydrogen production.

## Contribution

A heterostructured NiFe-LDH/Ce(OH)CO3 catalyst is designed to enable durable seawater oxidation at industrial current densities.

## Key findings

- The catalyst enables stable alkaline seawater electrooxidation for over 450 hours at 1 A cm−2.
- An energy efficiency of 68.59% is achieved in alkaline-simulated seawater with a hydrogen cost of $0.97 per gasoline gallon equivalent.
- Ce(OH)CO3 enhances Lewis acidity and suppresses Cl−-induced corrosion through preferential OH− adsorption.

## Abstract

The introduced Ce(OH)CO3 optimizes charge distribution and enhances Lewis acidity of Ni/Fe sites, facilitating OH− adsorption.The NiFe-layered double hydroxide/Ce(OH)CO3 enables stable alkaline seawater electrooxidation for over 450 h at a high current density of 1 A cm−2.In an anion exchange membrane system, an energy efficiency of 65.21% is attained at 1 A cm−2, with hydrogen production at a cost of USD 1.03 per gasoline gallon equivalent .

The introduced Ce(OH)CO3 optimizes charge distribution and enhances Lewis acidity of Ni/Fe sites, facilitating OH− adsorption.

The NiFe-layered double hydroxide/Ce(OH)CO3 enables stable alkaline seawater electrooxidation for over 450 h at a high current density of 1 A cm−2.

In an anion exchange membrane system, an energy efficiency of 65.21% is attained at 1 A cm−2, with hydrogen production at a cost of USD 1.03 per gasoline gallon equivalent .

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40820-026-02133-8.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in seawater electrolysis is pivotal for sustainable hydrogen production, yet severe chloride ion (Cl−)-induced corrosion at the anode critically limits catalyst durability. Herein, we design a heterostructured catalyst comprising NiFe-layered double hydroxide and Ce(OH)CO3 (denoted as NiFe-LDH/Ce(OH)CO3) that exhibits remarkable OER stability in alkaline-simulated seawater. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations reveal that Ce(OH)CO3 incorporation modulates interfacial charge redistribution and enhances the Lewis acidity of Ni and Fe sites, thereby tuning the adsorption energetics of Cl− and OH−. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry further confirms the preferential adsorption of OH− over Cl−, effectively suppressing Cl−-induced corrosion. As a result, NiFe-LDH/Ce(OH)CO3 demonstrates exceptional long-term stability, maintaining continuous operation for over 450 h at 1 A cm−2 in alkaline seawater. When integrated into an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer, the catalyst achieves 1 A cm−2 at a low cell voltage of 1.92 V and operates stably for over 60 h. The system delivers an impressive energy efficiency of 68.59% in alkaline-simulated seawater, corresponding to a hydrogen production cost as low as $0.97 per gasoline gallon equivalent at 500 mA cm−2.

The integration of Ce(OH)CO3
with NiFe-LDH enhances the Lewis acidity of Ni and Fe, enabling preferential OH-
adsorption while eff ectively suppressing chlorine corrosion, and ultimately achieving durable seawater oxidation atindustrial current densities.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40820-026-02133-8.