BUCT Made Breakthroughs in Seawater Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Tech
From：
Zhonglin International Group Date：03-24 134 Belong to：Industry Related
Recently, Professor Sun Xiaoming's team from Beijing University of Chemical Technology has made significant progress in seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology. Their developed anti renewable power fluctuation catalyst has successfully solved the key bottleneck problem in the industrialization process of seawater electrolysis hydrogen production. The related research results were published in the international authoritative journal Nature on March 6th.
The seawater electrolysis hydrogen production driven by renewable energy electricity has broad prospects as an important way to produce green hydrogen. However, the inherent intermittency and volatility of renewable energy make it difficult for hydrogen production facilities to operate continuously and stably. Even more tricky is that during the shutdown of the device, the cathode is prone to excessive oxidation and corrosion, which seriously hinders the large-scale application of seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology.
After in-depth research, Sun Xiaoming's team found that under parking conditions, there is a reverse current in the cathode of the seawater electrolysis device, which can cause the metal state cathode catalytic material to be oxidized by hydroxide ions in the electrolyte, while also being corroded by halogen ions in seawater, significantly increasing equipment maintenance costs. Previous research has mainly focused on the anode, neglecting the potential hazards of the cathode under specific operating conditions.
In response to this challenge, the team has carefully designed a catalyst with a coupled dynamic passivation structure of phosphate and metal oxide. This catalyst is like a strong "armor" covering the cathode, which can effectively resist oxygen permeation under shutdown conditions, prevent excessive oxidation of active nickel by hydroxide ions, and successfully overcome the problem of reverse current during system shutdown. After testing, the catalyst operated stably for over 10000 hours under laboratory fluctuation conditions. In industrial grade current density testing, the voltage growth rate was less than 0.5% per thousand hours, demonstrating excellent performance. At present, the catalyst has been successfully applied to megawatt scale seawater electrolysis hydrogen production units.
As early as 2014, Sun Xiaoming's team designed an ultra hydrophobic nano array electrode, which effectively reduces bubble adhesion during water electrolysis and achieves "bubble free" electrolysis. On this basis, the team selected a superhydrophobic metal nanoarray as the substrate, subjected it to phosphating treatment, and coated it with a chromium trioxide heterojunction structure. Among them, phosphides can form a dense passivation layer during discharge to resist oxygen permeation due to their high oxygen coordination number and wide valence range; Chromium trioxide remains stable in alkaline environments and high voltages, further enhancing the protection of cathode active sites.
The path from laboratory to industrial production is full of challenges. Team member Zhou Daojin introduced that all experiments started with an electrolytic cell with a working area of only 1 square centimeter. After selecting materials with excellent performance, they gradually expanded to larger electrolytic cells and continuously optimized experimental parameters, ultimately achieving the application of this process in megawatt scale devices. In the early stage of industrialization, facing the problem of excessive liquid level difference caused by uneven gas production between the anode and cathode, the team developed a new type of gas-liquid separator, which significantly improved the gas-liquid separation effect and ensured the safety of the electrolysis system. Considering the corrosion of equipment caused by sea breeze and salt spray, the team also carried out special anti-corrosion treatment on the surface of the equipment.
In recent years, Sun Xiaoming's team has actively carried out industry university research cooperation. Joining hands with CNOOC to build the world's first megawatt scale seawater hydrogen production facility; Cooperate with Shenzhen Energy to complete a 500 kW electrolytic seawater hydrogen production plant; Cooperating with CGN to build China's first integrated project of electrolytic seawater hydrogen production and marine ranching, opening up a new path for the utilization of renewable energy at sea. In February 2025, the first phase of seawater hydrogen production electrolyzer equipment production base invested and built by the team and Hydrogen Energy (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. in Changzhou West the Taihu Lake Science and Technology Industrial Park will be officially put into operation. The first automatic production line of electrolyzer has completed installation and commissioning, and will gradually expand its capacity in the future, with a production capacity of gigawatt/year within five years.
Looking ahead to the future, Sun Xiaoming stated that there is currently a lack of large-scale offshore validation experiments for direct seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology. The team plans to conduct direct electrolysis seawater verification experiments at a rate of thousands of standard cubic meters per hour, continuously improve the technology, promote the industrial large-scale application of renewable electricity driven seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology, and contribute to the development of global clean energy.
The seawater electrolysis hydrogen production driven by renewable energy electricity has broad prospects as an important way to produce green hydrogen. However, the inherent intermittency and volatility of renewable energy make it difficult for hydrogen production facilities to operate continuously and stably. Even more tricky is that during the shutdown of the device, the cathode is prone to excessive oxidation and corrosion, which seriously hinders the large-scale application of seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology.
After in-depth research, Sun Xiaoming's team found that under parking conditions, there is a reverse current in the cathode of the seawater electrolysis device, which can cause the metal state cathode catalytic material to be oxidized by hydroxide ions in the electrolyte, while also being corroded by halogen ions in seawater, significantly increasing equipment maintenance costs. Previous research has mainly focused on the anode, neglecting the potential hazards of the cathode under specific operating conditions.
In response to this challenge, the team has carefully designed a catalyst with a coupled dynamic passivation structure of phosphate and metal oxide. This catalyst is like a strong "armor" covering the cathode, which can effectively resist oxygen permeation under shutdown conditions, prevent excessive oxidation of active nickel by hydroxide ions, and successfully overcome the problem of reverse current during system shutdown. After testing, the catalyst operated stably for over 10000 hours under laboratory fluctuation conditions. In industrial grade current density testing, the voltage growth rate was less than 0.5% per thousand hours, demonstrating excellent performance. At present, the catalyst has been successfully applied to megawatt scale seawater electrolysis hydrogen production units.
As early as 2014, Sun Xiaoming's team designed an ultra hydrophobic nano array electrode, which effectively reduces bubble adhesion during water electrolysis and achieves "bubble free" electrolysis. On this basis, the team selected a superhydrophobic metal nanoarray as the substrate, subjected it to phosphating treatment, and coated it with a chromium trioxide heterojunction structure. Among them, phosphides can form a dense passivation layer during discharge to resist oxygen permeation due to their high oxygen coordination number and wide valence range; Chromium trioxide remains stable in alkaline environments and high voltages, further enhancing the protection of cathode active sites.
The path from laboratory to industrial production is full of challenges. Team member Zhou Daojin introduced that all experiments started with an electrolytic cell with a working area of only 1 square centimeter. After selecting materials with excellent performance, they gradually expanded to larger electrolytic cells and continuously optimized experimental parameters, ultimately achieving the application of this process in megawatt scale devices. In the early stage of industrialization, facing the problem of excessive liquid level difference caused by uneven gas production between the anode and cathode, the team developed a new type of gas-liquid separator, which significantly improved the gas-liquid separation effect and ensured the safety of the electrolysis system. Considering the corrosion of equipment caused by sea breeze and salt spray, the team also carried out special anti-corrosion treatment on the surface of the equipment.
In recent years, Sun Xiaoming's team has actively carried out industry university research cooperation. Joining hands with CNOOC to build the world's first megawatt scale seawater hydrogen production facility; Cooperate with Shenzhen Energy to complete a 500 kW electrolytic seawater hydrogen production plant; Cooperating with CGN to build China's first integrated project of electrolytic seawater hydrogen production and marine ranching, opening up a new path for the utilization of renewable energy at sea. In February 2025, the first phase of seawater hydrogen production electrolyzer equipment production base invested and built by the team and Hydrogen Energy (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. in Changzhou West the Taihu Lake Science and Technology Industrial Park will be officially put into operation. The first automatic production line of electrolyzer has completed installation and commissioning, and will gradually expand its capacity in the future, with a production capacity of gigawatt/year within five years.
Looking ahead to the future, Sun Xiaoming stated that there is currently a lack of large-scale offshore validation experiments for direct seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology. The team plans to conduct direct electrolysis seawater verification experiments at a rate of thousands of standard cubic meters per hour, continuously improve the technology, promote the industrial large-scale application of renewable electricity driven seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology, and contribute to the development of global clean energy.
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