Facile Reconstruction of Se-Regulated NiMo Nanorods for Efficient Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Developing platinum group metal (PGM)-free electrodes with high efficiency and stability is the ultimate goal for cost-effective anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE), while it poses a significant challenge to PGM-free catalysts. Here, we present reconstructed NiMoSex (r-NiMoSex) nanorods as highly efficient catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), in which Se can induce fast structural reconstruction, thereby creating a flexible surface. This approach constructs successive ion channels for mass transfer, thus significantly facilitating the OER performance. Consequently, r-NiMoSex-based PGM-free AEMWE enables an exceptional current density of 3 A cm–2 at 2.05 V, which can be stably run at 1 A cm–2 at 1.70 V for 190 h with a low attenuation rate of 48.1 μV h–1, surpassing most previously reported PGM-free catalysts. More importantly, the r-NiMoSex can maintain stable AEMWE performance after an almost half-year placement. This strategy contributes to developing next-generation highly efficient and durable PGM-free catalysts for green hydrogen production.