Self‐Cleaning Solar Evaporation Facilitating Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Generation From Seawater

ABSTRACT

Clean energy demands and zero‐carbon commitments have stimulated the desire for stable seawater electrolysis, yet device corrosion and catalyst deactivation seriously hinder industrial‐scale deployment. Here we present an innovative integrated platform that couples photothermal evaporation and desalinated water electrolysis. Relying on a hydrogen‐bonding crosslinking mechanism and anion‐induced Hofmeister effects, a lightweight spherical evaporator uniformly coated with a modified needle coke gel film is designed, exhibiting attractive continuous desalination performance (2.32 kg m ⁻² h ⁻¹ in 3.5 wt%) and salt‐resistant self‐cleaning capabilities. Subsequently, two independently improved evaporation‐collection systems outperform the traditional configuration during extended all‐weather outdoor experiments. Especially, the gas‐stripping assisted evaporation system holds powerful resistance capacity to adverse weather, achieving 5 times more water yield on a rainy day. Importantly, their seamless adaptation to anion/cation exchange membrane electrolysis systems has pioneered the long‐term application of advanced membrane electrodes in desalinated water electrolysis, cleverly addressing corrosion and catalyst deactivation barriers. This integrated strategy provides a practicable route for energy‐saving and large‐scale hydrogen extraction from seawater.