A method for ambient-temperature synthesis of a catalyst for water electrolysis by dissolving an amount of an Fe.sup.2+ source and optionally an amount of a salt of another divalent cation in deionized water at ambient temperature to form a solution, placing nickel (Ni) foam into the solution, whereby the Ni foam serves as a substrate and/or a Ni source for growth of the catalyst, leaving the Ni foam in the solution at ambient temperature for a time duration in a range of from about 0.5 hour to about 4 hours to provide a treated foam, during which time duration, the catalyst is grown on the substrate, and removing the treated foam from the solution after the time duration, wherein the treated foam comprises the catalyst grown thereon.

A foam electrode comprising surface treatment by the steps of: 1) impregnating soft compressible polymeric foams with a conductive coating via sequential infiltration synthesis and 2) functionalizing the chemically altered voids with an ultrathin redox coating to enhance capacitive deionization (CDI). The redox coating will allow treated foam to absorb ions under the application of a bias, and mechanical compression/decompression. The CDI apparatus uses the void volume of the foam in the uncompressed state to flow liquids through it while the compressed state is used to enhance desalination by limiting the diffusion pathways for the ions to find an adsorption surface.

A foam electrode comprising surface treatment by the steps of: 1) impregnating soft compressible polymeric foams with a conductive coating via sequential infiltration synthesis and 2) functionalizing the chemically altered voids with an ultrathin redox coating to enhance capacitive deionization (CDI). The redox coating will allow treated foam to absorb ions under the application of a bias, and mechanical compression/decompression. The CDI apparatus uses the void volume of the foam in the uncompressed state to flow liquids through it while the compressed state is used to enhance desalination by limiting the diffusion pathways for the ions to find an adsorption surface.

The present invention realizes industrially excellent effects such that when electric power having a large output fluctuation, such as renewable energy, is used as a power source, electrolysis performance is unlikely to be deteriorated and excellent catalytic activity is retained stably over a longer period of time, and in addition, the present invention provides a technique that enables forming a catalyst layer of an oxygen generation anode, which gives such excellent effects, with a more versatile materials and by a simple electrolysis method. Provided are an alkaline water electrolysis method including supplying an electrolyte obtained by dispersing a catalyst containing a hybrid nickel-iron hydroxide nanosheet (NiFe-ns) being a composite of a metal hydroxide and an organic substance to an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, and using the electrolyte for electrolysis in each chamber in common, an alkaline water electrolysis method including supplying an electrolyte obtained by dispersing a catalyst containing the NiFe-ns to an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, and performing electrolytic deposition of the NiFe-ns in the electrolytic cell during operation to electrolytically deposit the NiFe-ns on a surface of an electrically conductive substrate having a catalyst layer formed on a surface of an oxygen generation anode, thereby recovering and improving electrolysis performance, and an alkaline water electrolysis anode.

An electrolyzer cell comprises a first half cell comprising a housing at least partially enclosing a cell interior, a first electrode coated with a first catalyst coating, wherein the first electrode is coupled to the housing in the cell interior without welding, a second electrode coupled to the housing in the cell interior without welding, and a separator positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode.

An electrolyzer cell comprises a first half cell comprising a housing at least partially enclosing a cell interior, a first electrode coated with a first catalyst coating, wherein the first electrode is coupled to the housing in the cell interior without welding, a second electrode coupled to the housing in the cell interior without welding, and a separator positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode.

The invention relates to an apparatus for the electrochemical production of hydrogen gas from salt water, the apparatus comprising at least one cathode; at least one anode spaced apart from the cathode by a defined distance and connectors for electrically connecting the electrodes to a pulsating DC power supply; wherein the cathode comprises a paramagnetic material and the anode comprises a diamagnetic material. The invention also relates to an environmentally-friendly method for the production of hydrogen gas from sea water.

The present disclosure provides a quantum-dot ligand, a quantum-dot catalyst and a quantum-dot device. The quantum-dot ligand includes: a first ligand having a first group and a second group and a second ligand having an inorganic ion, in which a coordination bond is formed between the first group and a surface of a quantum dot, a hydrogen bond is formed between the second group and a hydroxyl group; and a coordination bond is formed between the inorganic ion and the surface of the quantum dot. The quantum-dot catalyst of the present disclosure can enhance a catalytic activity of the quantum dots and improve the catalytic performance.

There is provided a catalytic system including a fibrous hydrophobic substrate, a first layer having a first layer thickness including copper or copper alloy nanoparticles covering the polymeric substrate, and a second layer having a second layer thickness over the first layer and including amorphous nitrogen-doped carbon, wherein the catalytic system includes confined interlayer spaces defined by regions where the first layer and the second layer are spaced apart from each other. The catalytic system can be used for catalyzing the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or a combination thereof. Thus, there is also provided a method for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or a combination thereof, using the catalytic system.

There is provided a catalytic system including a fibrous hydrophobic substrate, a first layer having a first layer thickness including copper or copper alloy nanoparticles covering the polymeric substrate, and a second layer having a second layer thickness over the first layer and including amorphous nitrogen-doped carbon, wherein the catalytic system includes confined interlayer spaces defined by regions where the first layer and the second layer are spaced apart from each other. The catalytic system can be used for catalyzing the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or a combination thereof. Thus, there is also provided a method for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or a combination thereof, using the catalytic system.