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Vol. 18 (2026)

Dual Chloride Confinement in Noble Metal‐Doped NiV LDH Catalysts Enables Stable Industrial-Level Seawater Electrolysis

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02067-1
Kai Liu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China
Yaohai Cai
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China
Xiaotian Wei
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China
Lihang Qu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China
Jianxi Lu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China
Yingwei Qi
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China
Zhenbo Wang
Key Laboratory of Space Power‑Sources, MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, MOE Engineering Research Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Carbon Neutrality in Cold Regions, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People’s Republic of China
Dong Liu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Dong Liu

dongliu@szu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 210

Abstract

Seawater electrolysis is an appealing route toward sustainable hydrogen production, yet its practical deployment is hindered by severe chloride-induced corrosion and parasitic chlorine oxidation. Here, we report noble metal-doped NiV layered double hydroxides (LDHs) that integrate electronic modulation with a dual chloride confinement mechanism. Ir incorporation simultaneously establishes strong Ir-Cl coordination and dynamically regenerated VO43− layers, producing an adaptive electrostatic shield that effectively suppresses chloride penetration. As a result, Ir-NiV LDH delivers nearly 100% oxygen evolution reaction selectivity and outstanding stability over 2750 h at 500 mA cm−2. Meanwhile, Ru doping optimizes the hydrogen evolution pathway, enabling a low overpotential of 195 mV and >2350 h durability. When paired in a twso-electrode electrolyzer, the Ru-NiVLDH||Ir-NiVLDH system exhibits industrial-level performance and unprecedented robustness in alkaline seawater. This dual chloride confinement concept provides a general framework for catalyst design in corrosive ionic environments, extending beyond seawater splitting toward other electrochemical energy conversion processes.


Highlights:
1 Noble metal doping into NiV-layered double hydroxides optimizes the electronic structure of active sites, significantly enhancing its catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction.
2 A “dual chloride confinement” strategy is proposed to overcome chloride corrosion in seawater electrolysis by synergizing strong adsorption (Ir-Cl) with electrostatic repulsion (VO43−).
3 Offers a practical route toward economically viable and sustainable hydrogen production from seawater.

Keywords

Seawater electrolysis Chloride confinement NiV LDH Noble metal doping Long-term stability
Liu, Kai, Yaohai Cai, Xiaotian Wei, Lihang Qu, Jianxi Lu, Yingwei Qi, Zhenbo Wang, and Dong Liu. 2023. “Dual Chloride Confinement in Noble Metal‐Doped NiV LDH Catalysts Enables Stable Industrial-Level Seawater Electrolysis”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (January):210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02067-1.
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