Interstitial B-doped high-entropy selenide

1000 h seawater oxidation without decay

Interstitial boron triggers localized lattice oxygen redox within the reconstructed oxyhydroxide layer, activating quasi-reversible valence oscillations at Ni sites for self-stabilized seawater oxidation.

Li, Hai · Xiaoliang, Zhang · Yangyang, Liu · Zou, Xue · Wang, Gui · Wan, Shun · Dong, Hongliang · Yufan, Wu · Jinhui, Fu · Luobin, Cao · Li, Dong Sheng · 78099863 · Sun, Chenghua · Tu, Jinchun

Science Bulletin 2026

Specifications

Overpotential decrease

{'zh': '180', 'en': '180'} mV

Advantages

Overpotential drops over time

Localized lattice oxygen redox triggers quasi-reversible valence oscillations at Ni sites, continuously regenerating active sites and strengthening metal-oxygen covalency, so catalytic activity improves during operation.

Withstands chloride in seawater

The selectively formed stronger B-Co-Se covalent framework and rapid formation of chloride-repelling selenate layers protect the lattice from corrosive attack, enabling direct use of seawater without desalination.

Applications

• Seawater electrolysis for hydrogen：Directly electrolyze seawater for hydrogen, eliminating desalination pretreatment.
• Oxygen evolution electrocatalysis：Replace noble-metal OER catalysts to lower anode overpotential.
• Alkaline water electrolysis：Operate stably at the anode of alkaline electrolyzers long-term without activity decay.
• Direct seawater electrolysis：The catalyst itself resists chloride corrosion and can be used directly with untreated seawater.