Vertical 3D Nanostructures Boost Efficient Hydrogen Production Coupled with Glycerol Oxidation Under Alkaline Conditions

Hydrogen production from electrolytic water is an important sustainable technology to realize renewable energy conversion and carbon neutrality. However, it is limited by the high overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. To reduce the operating voltage of electrolyzer, herein thermodynamically favorable glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) is proposed to replace the OER. Moreover, vertical NiO flakes and NiMoNH nanopillars are developed to boost the reaction kinetics of anodic GOR and cathodic hydrogen evolution, respectively. Meanwhile, excluding the explosion risk of mixed H2/O2, a cheap organic membrane is used to replace the expensive anion exchange membrane in the electrolyzer. Impressively, the electrolyzer delivers a remarkable reduction of operation voltage by 280 mV, and exhibits good long-term stability. This work provides a new paradigm of hydrogen production with low cost and good feasibility.