Demonstrates efficient hydrogen production in decoupled systems, suggesting an innovative approach for renewable energy.
Decoupled water electrolysis (DWE) enables spatial−temporal separation of HER and OER via redox mediators for high-purity green hydrogen, but conventional solid-state mediators suffer from limited capacity, restricting large-scale application. To address this, we proposed a redox-flow-battery (RFB)-inspired DWE system integrating a Ce3+/Ce4+ liquid mediator and Sb-doped SnO2 (Sb-SnO2) electrodes. The Sb/Sn = 3:10 electrode showed optimal catalytic activity owing to its highest Oad/OL and Sb5+/Sb3+ ratios, accelerating Ce3+/Ce4+ redox while suppressing parasitic oxygen evolution. In batch operation, stable H2/O2 production voltages (1.74/0.44 V) were achieved at 50 mA cm−2, with H2/O2 volume ratio approaching theoretical 2:1. We further constructed a continuous DWE prototype coupled with photovoltaic (PV) cells for spatially separated simultaneous H2/O2 production. The integrated system reached a maximum solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 11.26% under AM 1.5G illumination. Outdoor tests confirmed the system’s robustness under fluctuating solar input. This work provides a scalable, efficient route for green hydrogen production, promising to advance sustainable solar-to-hydrogen conversion.
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Zhou et al. (2026) studied this question.
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