TY - JOUR
T1 - Anion Shielding in Nb-WO3/WS2 Heterostructures
T2 - A Strategy for Efficient and Corrosion-Resistant Seawater Electrolysis
AU - Yang, Lin
AU - Xing, Zihao
AU - Chen, Yijun
AU - Yang, Ming
AU - Liu, Wei
AU - Qin, Kaichi
AU - Sun, Xinran
AU - Li, Qianyu
AU - Xiao, Meiling
AU - Jia, Zhiyu
AU - Chang, Jinfa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2025/12/23
Y1 - 2025/12/23
N2 - Seawater electrolysis is a promising route for sustainable hydrogen production, but chloride-induced corrosion severely limits its practicality. Here, a dual-modulated Nb-WO3/WS2 heterostructure electrocatalyst that simultaneously enhances oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics and resists chloride corrosion is designed. The Nb-WO3/WS2 anode achieves remarkably low overpotentials of 212 and 369 mV at 10 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively, in alkaline simulated seawater, with a Tafel slope of 35.58 mV dec−1. The catalyst also exhibits remarkable stability, maintaining performance over 1000 CV cycles. Mechanistic studies reveal that Nb doping introduces oxygen vacancies and modulates the electronic structure, while the in situ formation of a WOx protective layer during OER effectively repels Cl− via anion shielding. This work provides a strategic approach to developing durable, efficient, and non-precious-metal-based catalysts for seawater splitting.
AB - Seawater electrolysis is a promising route for sustainable hydrogen production, but chloride-induced corrosion severely limits its practicality. Here, a dual-modulated Nb-WO3/WS2 heterostructure electrocatalyst that simultaneously enhances oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics and resists chloride corrosion is designed. The Nb-WO3/WS2 anode achieves remarkably low overpotentials of 212 and 369 mV at 10 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively, in alkaline simulated seawater, with a Tafel slope of 35.58 mV dec−1. The catalyst also exhibits remarkable stability, maintaining performance over 1000 CV cycles. Mechanistic studies reveal that Nb doping introduces oxygen vacancies and modulates the electronic structure, while the in situ formation of a WOx protective layer during OER effectively repels Cl− via anion shielding. This work provides a strategic approach to developing durable, efficient, and non-precious-metal-based catalysts for seawater splitting.
KW - anion shielding
KW - electrocatalysis
KW - oxygen evolution reaction
KW - seawater splitting
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105021527700
U2 - 10.1002/smll.202509761
DO - 10.1002/smll.202509761
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105021527700
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 21
JO - Small
JF - Small
IS - 51
M1 - e09761
ER -