Suppressing chlorine evolution for durable, selective hydrogen generation from brackish seawater
Bekmyrza K.Z. Kuterbekov K.A. Kabyshev A.M. Baratova A.A. Kubenova M.M. Aidarbekov N. Atamurotov F.
20 January 2026Elsevier Ltd
Electrochimica Acta
2026#547
Direct seawater electrolysis offers a route to coastal hydrogen production, yet reliable suppression of chlorine chemistry at device scale remains a key barrier to deployment. Addressing this gap, this study develops an interfacially engineered, earth-abundant nickel–iron oxyhydroxide anode integrated into an anion-exchange membrane electrolyzer and evaluates chlorine formation under continuous operation on natural brackish seawater collected near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The methodology combines fabrication of an ultrathin chromium-rich passivation on the oxyhydroxide surface, assembly of a two-compartment electrolyzer, galvanostatic operation at practically relevant current densities, and on-line gas-phase analytics to quantify chlorine species with stated detection limits, complemented by post-operation surface and electrolyte analyses to assess stability. The device sustains approximately 1.0 A cm⁻² for extended operation with a stable cell voltage of ≈1.9 V, while chlorine products at the anode outlet remain below detection limits (≤0.5 ppm, v/v); oxygen selectivity exceeds 99 % and hydrogen faradaic efficiency approaches 98 %, with minimal loss of interfacial passivation. These results demonstrate that coupling targeted interfacial chemistry with anion-exchange architecture enables chlorine-suppressed oxygen evolution in untreated brackish seawater (12.8 ppt) and delineate the scope of applicability accordingly. The findings provide a reproducible pathway beyond catalyst-centric half-cell reports and inform the design of durable, precious-metal-free electrolyzers for coastal and offshore hydrogen generation, motivating future scale-up and multi-month durability studies. Copyright
Anion-exchange membrane electrolyzer , Chlorine suppression , Natural seawater , Nickel–iron oxyhydroxide , Oxygen evolution reaction
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Faculty of Engineering, Caspian University of Technology and Engineering named after Sh.Yessenov, Aktau, 130000, Kazakhstan
Institute of Physical and Technical Sciences, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, 010008, Kazakhstan
Department of Thermodynamics and Energy Audit, Tashkent State Technical University, Tashkent, 100095, Uzbekistan
Department of Physics, Urgench State University, Kh. Alimdjan str. 14, Urgench, 220100, Uzbekistan
Department of Mathematics, University of Tashkent for Applied Sciences, Str. Gavhar 1, Tashkent, 100149, Uzbekistan
Faculty of Engineering
Institute of Physical and Technical Sciences
Department of Thermodynamics and Energy Audit
Department of Physics
Department of Mathematics
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