Integrated electrode design based on metal-organic frameworks for anion exchange membrane electrolyzers under high current densities

Tingting Luan; Yukun Zhao; Xinran Hou; Zhaoyang Tan; Xiaoyun Li; Jingde Li; Feichao Wu

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137506

Integrated electrode design based on metal-organic frameworks for anion exchange membrane electrolyzers under high current densities

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 Aug 15:692:137506. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137506. Epub 2025 Apr 3.

Authors

Tingting Luan¹, Yukun Zhao¹, Xinran Hou², Zhaoyang Tan², Xiaoyun Li¹, Jingde Li³, Feichao Wu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, No.19 Qingyuan North Road, Daxing District, Beijing 102617, China.
² Tianjin Key Laboratory of Chemical Process Safety, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China.
³ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Chemical Process Safety, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China. Electronic address: jingdeli@hebut.edu.cn.
⁴ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Chemical Process Safety, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China. Electronic address: wufeichao321@hebut.edu.cn.

PMID: 40209429
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137506

Abstract

The development of efficient and durable electrodes is crucial for realizing industrialized hydrogen production via anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). However, limited attention has been given to preparing three-dimensional integrated electrodes through the coupling of gas diffusion layers and catalyst layers. Herein, an iron-cobalt (FeCo) gallate metal-organic framework (MOF) is controllably deposited on nickel foam (denotedas FeCo-gallate_x/NF), serving as both the integrated cathode and anode of AEMWEs. These electrodes consist of MOF-coated catalyst layers and uncoated regions of the NF substrate serving as gas diffusion layers, where the anchored MOF material exhibits dual functionality as a catalyst for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This integrated electrode design significantly reduces the ohmic and mass transport resistances, while improving the kinetics. Consequently, the proposed electrode exhibits impressive performance for both OER and HER under alkaline conditions, enabling efficient overall water splitting. Additionally, the assembled AEMWEs achieve a small potential of only 1.63 V at 1 A cm^-2, along with durable stability for 800 h at the same current density. This work provides an innovative idea for developing high-performance and durable electrodes of AEMWEs.

Keywords: Anion exchange membrane electrolyzers; Integrated electrodes; Self-supported catalysts; Water electrolysis.