High-performance alkaline water electrolyzers based on Ru-perturbed Cu nanoplatelets cathode

Yong Zuo, Sebastiano Bellani (), Michele Ferri, Gabriele Saleh, Dipak V. Shinde, Marilena Isabella Zappia, Rosaria Brescia, Mirko Prato, Luca Trizio, Ivan Infante, Francesco Bonaccorso () and Liberato Manna ()
Additional contact information
Yong Zuo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Sebastiano Bellani: BeDimensional S.p.A, Via Lungotorrente Secca, 30R
Michele Ferri: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Gabriele Saleh: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Dipak V. Shinde: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Marilena Isabella Zappia: BeDimensional S.p.A, Via Lungotorrente Secca, 30R
Rosaria Brescia: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Mirko Prato: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Luca Trizio: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Ivan Infante: UPV/EHU Science Park
Francesco Bonaccorso: BeDimensional S.p.A, Via Lungotorrente Secca, 30R
Liberato Manna: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Alkaline electrolyzers generally produce hydrogen at current densities below 0.5 A/cm2. Here, we design a cost-effective and robust cathode, consisting of electrodeposited Ru nanoparticles (mass loading ~ 53 µg/cm2) on vertically oriented Cu nanoplatelet arrays grown on metallic meshes. Such cathode is coupled with an anode based on stacked stainless steel meshes, which outperform NiFe hydroxide catalysts. Our electrolyzers exhibit current densities as high as 1 A/cm2 at 1.69 V and 3.6 A/cm2 at 2 V, reaching the performances of proton-exchange membrane electrolyzers. Also, our electrolyzers stably operate in continuous (1 A/cm2 for over 300 h) and intermittent modes. A total production cost of US$2.09/kgH2 is foreseen for a 1 MW plant (30-year lifetime) based on the proposed electrode technology, meeting the worldwide targets (US$2–2.5/kgH2). Hence, the use of a small amount of Ru in cathodes (~0.04 gRu per kW) is a promising strategy to solve the dichotomy between the capital and operational expenditures of conventional alkaline electrolyzers for high-throughput operation, while facing the scarcity issues of Pt-group metals.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40319-5

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