Heterointerface-Enabled Anti-Reverse-Current Electrodes for Alkaline Water Electrolyzers at 1000 mA cm <sup>–2</sup>
Wen-Jun He, Yueshuai Wang, Yilong Zhao, Cheng Tang, Linchuan Cong, Changli Wang, Yue Lu, Xin Liu, Juncai Dong, Serhiy Cherevko, Qingsong Hua, Qiang Zhang
Abstract
Achieving stable and efficient alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) under fluctuating renewable energy inputs is essential for large-scale green hydrogen production. However, frequent shutdown-induced reverse current (RC) effects pose significant challenges to electrode durability. Here, we introduce a gradient interlayer engineering strategy to develop robust AWE electrodes that intrinsically resist both electrochemical reconstruction and mechanical fatigue. By constructing a dense interlayer with Ni(112̅)/Ni 3 S 2 (1̅20) heterointerfaces, the electrode demonstrates high catalytic activity (1.79 V @1000 mA cm –2 ─meeting the U.S. DOE 2026 target), excellent operational stability (>1500 h at 1000 mA cm –2 in 30 wt % KOH at 80 °C), and exceptional RC resistance for 3600 accelerated startup/shutdown cycles. Mechanistic studies through cross-sectional characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that the seamless interlayer at the catalyst–substrate interface enhances interfacial adhesion, mitigates lattice mismatch, and facilitates charge redistribution, ensuring robust stability and integrity even under operational strains and potential reversals. This work establishes interface crystallography as a design paradigm for durable electrodes, potentially overcoming the stability–activity dilemma toward industrially relevant electrolyzers coupled with fluctuating renewable energy sources.