Supersolidophobic Pt catalyst for long-term natural seawater electrolysis with hydrogen production and magnesium extraction.

Yi, L; Chen, C; Wen, Y; Zhang, S; Chen, H; Zhu, J; Weng, J; Zhang, W; Xu, W; Guan, W; Chen, X; Qiu, T; Tian, X; Lu, Z

Supersolidophobic Pt catalyst for long-term natural seawater electrolysis with hydrogen production and magnesium extraction.

Yi, L Chen, C

Wen, Y Zhang, S Chen, H Zhu, J Weng, J Zhang, W Xu, W Guan, W Chen, X Qiu, T Tian, X Lu, Z

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Publisher:: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Nat Commun, 2025, 16, (1), pp. 11493
Issue Date:: 2025-12-12

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Yi, L
dc.contributor.author	Chen, C https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4620-7771
dc.contributor.author	Wen, Y
dc.contributor.author	Zhang, S
dc.contributor.author	Chen, H
dc.contributor.author	Zhu, J
dc.contributor.author	Weng, J
dc.contributor.author	Zhang, W
dc.contributor.author	Xu, W
dc.contributor.author	Guan, W
dc.contributor.author	Chen, X
dc.contributor.author	Qiu, T
dc.contributor.author	Tian, X
dc.contributor.author	Lu, Z
dc.date.accessioned	2026-06-12T00:00:46Z
dc.date.available	2025-11-09
dc.date.available	2026-06-12T00:00:46Z
dc.date.issued	2025-12-12
dc.identifier.citation	Nat Commun, 2025, 16, (1), pp. 11493
dc.identifier.issn	2041-1723
dc.identifier.issn	2041-1723
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195304
dc.description.abstract	The electrochemical synthesis of solid compounds is a critical emerging area in electrocatalysis; however, a major challenge is still remaining on severe catalysts scaling driven by strong solid-solid interactions, giving rise to rapid electrode deactivation. In this study, for the example of simultaneous synthesis of Mg(OH)2 and H2 from natural seawater electrolysis, we demonstrate that Pt catalyst with surface-coordinated halogens (F, Cl, Br, I) can alleviate this scaling effect (i.e., solidophobicity) by like-charge repulsion and thus regulating the local environment. Specifically, Pt-I coordination results in supersolidophobicity, achieving a successful extraction of Mg(OH)2 ( > 99% purity) while stably producing H2 (under 100 mA cm-2 for over 5000 hours). A combination of experimental and theoretical studies reveals that, due to the like charge repulsion between I- and in situ generated OH-, the Pt-I catalyst regulates the surface pH gradient which increases the distance from the electrode surface to the Mg(OH)2 nucleus (>4 μm) and facilitates homogeneous nucleation. Additionally, the scalability of the Pt-I catalyst, along with the techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of the natural seawater electrolysis technology are systematically demonstrated.
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	NATURE PORTFOLIO
dc.relation.ispartof	Nat Commun
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1038/s41467-025-66473-6
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Supersolidophobic Pt catalyst for long-term natural seawater electrolysis with hydrogen production and magnesium extraction.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	16
utslib.location.activity	England
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Biomedical Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Chancellor's Research Fellows
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-06-12T00:00:42Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	16
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

The electrochemical synthesis of solid compounds is a critical emerging area in electrocatalysis; however, a major challenge is still remaining on severe catalysts scaling driven by strong solid-solid interactions, giving rise to rapid electrode deactivation. In this study, for the example of simultaneous synthesis of Mg(OH)2 and H2 from natural seawater electrolysis, we demonstrate that Pt catalyst with surface-coordinated halogens (F, Cl, Br, I) can alleviate this scaling effect (i.e., solidophobicity) by like-charge repulsion and thus regulating the local environment. Specifically, Pt-I coordination results in supersolidophobicity, achieving a successful extraction of Mg(OH)2 ( > 99% purity) while stably producing H2 (under 100 mA cm-2 for over 5000 hours). A combination of experimental and theoretical studies reveals that, due to the like charge repulsion between I- and in situ generated OH-, the Pt-I catalyst regulates the surface pH gradient which increases the distance from the electrode surface to the Mg(OH)2 nucleus (>4 μm) and facilitates homogeneous nucleation. Additionally, the scalability of the Pt-I catalyst, along with the techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of the natural seawater electrolysis technology are systematically demonstrated.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195304