Underpotential Electrolysis of Water for Hydrogen Production

This paper proposes the concept of underpotential electrolysis for hydrogen production and validates its feasibility both theoretically and experimentally. This technology can achieve water electrolysis for hydrogen production at an applied voltage lower than the theoretical decomposition voltage of water, thereby significantly improving the electrical energy efficiency of the hydrogen production process. At the same time, this technology can also decouple hydrogen production and oxygen generation, thus avoiding gas cross-contamination and other issues. Since this novel design eliminates the need for membranes and catalytic electrodes (catalysts can be omitted or their usage can be reduced), it primarily uses cost-effective carbon-based materials, avoiding long-term reliability issues caused by the detachment and degradation of catalytic electrode coatings, as well as wear and seal failure of membranes. What's more distinctive is that, in theory, its operation process will absorb a large amount of heat from the surroundings, allowing it to serve as a large-scale cold source for co-use. For example, it can be used as a cold source for centralized cooling in urban areas during the summer or for other potential applications, providing additional economic value.