“Yttrium-doped NiMo-MoO2 heterostructure electrocatalysts for hydrogen production from alkaline seawater” (2025), by Shujie Liu et al. Energy research paper. Original abstract below, unchanged. A free PDF is available.

Yttrium-doped NiMo-MoO2 heterostructure electrocatalysts for hydrogen production from alkaline seawater

Shujie Liu, Zhiguo Zhang, Kamran Dastafkan et al. · January 17, 2025 · Energy

Abstract

Active and stable electrocatalysts are essential for hydrogen production from alkaline water electrolysis. However, precisely controlling the interaction between electrocatalysts and reaction intermediates (H2O*, H*, and *OH) remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate an yttrium-doped NiMo-MoO2 heterogenous electrocatalyst that efficiently promotes water dissociation and accelerates the intermediate adsorption/desorption dynamics in alkaline electrolytes. Introducing yttrium into the NiMo/MoO2 heterostructure induces lattice expansion and optimizes the d-band center of NiMo alloy component, enhancing water dissociation and H* desorption. Yttrium doping also increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies in MoO2−x, which in turn accelerates the charge kinetics and the swift evacuation of *OH intermediates from the active sites. Consequently, the Y-NiMo/MoO2−x heterostructure exhibits notable performance by requiring only 189 and 220 mV overpotentials to achieve current density of 2.0 A cm−2 in alkaline water and seawater, respectively. This work provides a strategy to modulate heterostructure catalysts for scalable, economically viable hydrogen production from low-quality waters. Hydrogen production from alkaline seawater requires efficient catalysts, but controlling interaction with intermediates is challenging. Here, the authors report an yttrium-doped NiMo-MoO2 catalyst that optimizes water dissociation and enables efficient seawater splitting at high current densities.

Free PDF DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-55856-4