POS6-1386
Self-supported polypyrrole capped CuFe LDH/NF for corrosion resistance kilo-hour seawater electrolysis
When and Where
Nov 30, -0001
00:00 - 00:00
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Presenter(s)
Bibi Nafeesa (Chung Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Natural seawater electrolysis offers a sustainable route to hydrogen production, yet its practical deployment is constrained by sluggish kinetics and rapid electrode degradation under corrosive, high-current-density conditions. Here, we report a self-supported, commercially viable microwave-synthesized copper–iron layered double hydroxide on nickel foam, protected by conducting polypyrrole (MW-CuFe LDH/NF@PPy). We demonstrate, for the first time, that ultrafast microwave synthesis produces a CuFe LDH architecture with superior crystallinity and interlayer tunability relative to conventional solvothermal methods. The optimized MW-CuFe LDH/NF@PPy electrode requires a hydrogen evolution reaction overpotential (ηHER) of only −192 mVRHE at 10 mA cm⁻² in alkaline seawater. More critically, it sustains the industrially relevant durability benchmarks of >1000 hours in soft natural seawater at 1000 mA cm⁻² with negligible voltage decay. This exceptional stability arises from two synergistic mechanisms: (i) carbonate (CO₃²⁻) and bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) ions, inherited from synthesis and continuously intercalated during prolonged electrolysis, that reinforce the LDH interlayer structure and prevent collapse under high-rate operation; and (ii) the conformal PPy capping, which concurrently enhances electronic conductivity, suppresses degradation pathways that are exacerbated at high current densities such as Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ fouling, and mitigates chloride-induced pitting corrosion, biofouling, and mechanical erosion. Collectively, these findings establish microwave-assisted synthesis, carbonate-mediated structural reinforcement, and PPy-enabled surface protection as a synergistic strategy to achieve kilohour-scale hydrogen production from real soft seawater under industrially demanding conditions.
