Efficient direct seawater electrolysers using selective alkaline NiFe-LDH as OER catalyst in asymmetric electrolyte feeds

Direct seawater electrolysis faces fundamental catalytic and process engineering challenges. Here we demonstrate a promising seawater electrolyser configuration using asymmetric electrolyte feeds. We further investigated the faradaic O(2)efficiency of NiFe-LDH in alkalinized Cl--containing electrolytes in comparison to commercial IrOx-based catalysts. Other than IrOx, NiFe-LDH prevents the oxidation of Cl(-)and appears highly selective for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkalinized seawater even at cell potentials beyond 3.0 V-cell.