Ultra‐Durable Solar‐Driven Seawater Electrolysis for Sustainable Hydrogen Production
Zhaolong Wang, Ciwei Wu, Xiaolong Wang, Mingzhu Xie, Yinfeng Li, Ziheng Zhan, Yong Shuai
Abstract
Abstract Ions in seawater hinder direct sewage electrolysis due to the extreme corrosion of Cl − to the anode and reaction of Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ on the cathode producing solid substances, which reduce the electrolytic efficiency. However, traditional desalination consuming fossil fuel with massive CO 2 emissions threatens human survival. Therefore, zero‐carbon emission, ultra‐durable, large‐scale production of freshwater from seawater for water electrolysis is urgently needed. Herein, a multifunctional system for seawater is demonstrated electrolysis based on ultra‐durable solar desalination outdoors. The solar evaporators reach an evaporation flux of 1.88 kg m −2 h −1 with a photothermal conversion efficiency of solar energy as high as 91.3% with excellent ultra‐durable salt resistance even for saturated saltwater due to the Marangoni effects. Moreover, the condensation of pure water from solar desalination based on the evaporation system reaches 0.54 L m −2 h −1 outdoors, which is suitable for a 20 cm × 20 cm engineered electrode equipped with a Janus membrane powered by a solar panel to produce H 2 outdoors. The ultrafast unidirectional transport of H 2 bubbles enabled by Janus membranes can greatly improve the H 2 production efficiency at a rate approaching 85 mL h −1 for continuous 24 h outdoors.