Highly Efficient All-3D-Printed Electrolyzer toward Ultrastable Water Electrolysis

Abstract

The practical application of electrochemical water splitting has been plagued by the sluggish kinetics of bubble generation and the slow escape of bubbles which block reaction surfaces at high current densities. Here, 3D-printed Ni (3DP Ni) electrodes with a rationally designed periodic structure and surface chemistry are reported, where the macroscopic ordered pores allow fast bubble evolution and emission, while the microporosity ensures a high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). When they are further loaded with MoNi 4 and NiFe layered double hydroxide active materials, the 3D electrodes deliver 500 mA cm −2 at an overpotential of 104 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 310 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. An all-3D-printed alkaline electrolyzer (including electrodes, membrane, and cell) delivers 500 mA cm −2 at a remarkable voltage of 1.63 V with no noticeable performance decay after 1000 h. Such a tailored bubble trajectory demonstrates feasible solutions for future large-scale clean energy production.

Deeply Reconstructed NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets for an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

“…3 However, inadequate active sites exposed in traditional NiFe LDH materials and poor electrical conductivity still cause a high overpotential, hampering the utilization of NiFe LDH in practical applications. 3,4 Strategies including metal ion doping, anion intercalation, and modification of nonmetallic elements have been developed to improve their performances. 5,6 However, limited success has been achieved to combine the synergistic effects from increase in surface area and numbers of active sites in one simple synthesis demonstration, failing to achieve performances superior to the noble metal catalyst.…”

“…Electrochemical water-splitting is critical to utilizing sustainable energy, yet its water oxidation half reaction, namely, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), exhibits a sluggish kinetics due to the complex four-electron transfer process and the adsorption process of the diversified intermediates (*OH, *O, *OOH), which always needs a high overpotential to overcome the reaction energy barriers. , To date, NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) has shown promises in catalytic performances as a precursor of high-performance non-noble metal catalysts toward OER in the alkaline media . However, inadequate active sites exposed in traditional NiFe LDH materials and poor electrical conductivity still cause a high overpotential, hampering the utilization of NiFe LDH in practical applications. , Strategies including metal ion doping, anion intercalation, and modification of nonmetallic elements have been developed to improve their performances. , However, limited success has been achieved to combine the synergistic effects from increase in surface area and numbers of active sites in one simple synthesis demonstration, failing to achieve performances superior to the noble metal catalyst.…”

Multifunctional metal selenide-based materials synthesized via a one-pot solvothermal approach for electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications

“…Meanwhile, Ni 2+ ions were liberated from the Ni foam to act as a self-sacrificial template. 45,46 Se powder and NaBH 4 were used as Se sources and reducing agents, respectively. The underlying porous Ni foam as the conductive substrate with low electrical resistance and large specific surface area could hasten electron transportation by enabling the shortest pathways in electrochemical activity, while the developed active material provides higher electrochemical properties.…”

Ultraviolet‐Assisted Printing of Flexible Solid‐State Zn‐Ion Battery with a Heterostructure Electrolyte

“…The modularized and integrated electronics for portable and wearable devices have intensively boomed great demand for flexible electrochemical energy storage devices. [1][2][3][4][5] Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) hold particular potential for next-generation power sources due to their low cost, abundant resources, easy processing, and high theoretical capacity (820 mAh g −1 ). [6][7][8] However, surface corrosion and dendrite growth of zinc anode severely hinder their practical applications.…”