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Vol. 18 (2026)

Unlocking Superior Stability in High-Salinity Oxygen Evolution Reaction: A Ru Stabilized NiFeOOH/Ni Anode with over 2000 h Durability

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02072-4
Jin He
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Haoyun Sheng
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Yichao Lin
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Bingqi Gong
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Yayun Zhao
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Ziqi Tian
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Liang Chen
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Liang Chen

chenliang@nimte.ac.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 223

Abstract

Saline water electrolysis presents a promising pathway for green hydrogen production by leveraging abundant saline water resources instead of scarce freshwater. However, the presence of highly corrosive chloride ions (Cl−) severely undermines anode durability. This instability arises from two main issues: (i) penetration of Cl− through catalyst layers to the underlying substrate and (ii) degradation of active catalytic sites due to Cl− attack. To tackle both issues simultaneously, we introduce ruthenium (Ru) ions as a dual-function stabilizing agent in NiFe-based anodes. Our results show that Ru incorporation promotes the formation of a protective surface layer enriched with Ru atoms, along with a denser NiFeOOH catalyst structure, which collectively inhibit Cl– infiltration. Moreover, atomically dispersed ruthenium (RuSA) within the NiFeOOH matrix effectively mitigates Cl–-induced corrosion of active sites. Thanks to this dual stabilization effect, the resulting RuSA-NiFeOOH/Ni anode exhibits exceptional operational stability—over 2000 h at an industrial current density of 0.5 A cm−2 in a chloride-enriched alkaline medium (1 M KOH + 2 M NaCl)—setting a new benchmark for performance under such aggressive conditions. This study establishes a robust dual stabilization strategy that significantly enhances anode stability in saline water electrolysis.


Highlights:
1 A dual-function stabilizing agent in NiFe-based anodes is proposed.
2 Ru incorporation promotes the formation of a protective surface layer enriched with Ru atoms, along with a denser NiFeOOH catalyst structure.
3 RuSA-NiFeOOH/Ni anode exhibits exceptional operational stability over 2000 h at an industrial current density of 0.5 A cm−2 in a chloride-enriched alkaline medium.

Keywords

Saline water electrolysis Oxygen evolution reaction Chloride corrosion Electrostatic repulsion NiFeOOH
He, Jin, Haoyun Sheng, Yichao Lin, Bingqi Gong, Yayun Zhao, Ziqi Tian, and Liang Chen. 2026. “Unlocking Superior Stability in High-Salinity Oxygen Evolution Reaction: A Ru Stabilized NiFeOOH/Ni Anode With over 2000 H Durability”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (January):223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02072-4.
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