Anion-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis: Synergistic Advances from Material Design to Device Integration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66000/3110-9772.2025.01.06Keywords:
Electrocatalysis,, Anion exchange membrane, water dissociation, Oxygen evolution reaction, Hydrogen evolution reactionAbstract
In the context of the global energy transition, wind and solar power have emerged as the primary sources of renewable energy. However, due to their reliance on natural conditions, their electricity generation is subject to fluctuations and intermittency, making large-scale and high-proportion grid integration challenging. This often results in surplus electricity. Hydrogen production through water electrolysis using this excess electricity plays a critical role in improving energy utilization efficiency. Among various water electrolysis technologies, anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) stands out as one of the most promising and cost-effective methods, owing to its high efficiency, the use of non-precious metal electrocatalysts, and extensive research. This paper reviews the recent advancements in the AEMWE field, highlighting improvements in membrane conductivity, a deeper understanding of degradation mechanisms, and emerging trends in electrocatalyst design. It systematically examines the key factors influencing AEMWE performance and explores the technological challenges and opportunities for its development. Finally, the paper offers valuable insights for the development of efficient and durable electrocatalysts and the advancement of AEMWE device fabrication.
References
Sun, F.;Tang, Q.; Jiang, D.-e. Theoretical Advances in Understanding and Designing the Active Sites for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 8404-8433. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.2c02081
Zhao, S.;Li, Z. X.;Guo, H. T.;Li, J.;Liu, Z. L.;Wang, P. F.;Wang, L. L.; Yi, T. F. Critical Role of Carbon Substrates in Optimizing Ru‐Based HER Catalysts: From Dimensional Insights to Metal‐Support Interactions Engineering. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2025, 25, e09799. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202509799
Jia, Y.;Zhang, Y.;Xu, H.;Li, J.;Gao, M.; Yang, X. Recent Advances in Doping Strategies to Improve Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Performance of Molybdenum Disulfide. ACS Catal. 2024, 14, 4601-4637. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.3c05053
Lang, C.;Xu, Y.; Yao, X. Perfecting HER catalysts via defects: Recent advances and perspectives. Chin. J. Catal. 2024, 64, 4-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-2067(24)60105-1
Li, J.;Li, L.;Wang, J.;Cabot, A.; Zhu, Y. Boosting Hydrogen Evolution by Methanol Oxidation Reaction on Ni-Based Electrocatalysts: From Fundamental Electrochemistry to Perspectives. ACS Energy Lett. 2024, 9, 853-879. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c02678
Henkensmeier, D.;Cho, W.-C.;Jannasch, P.;Stojadinovic, J.;Li, Q.;Aili, D.; Jensen, J. O. Separators and Membranes for Advanced Alkaline Water Electrolysis. Chem. Rev. 2024, 124, 6393-6443. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00694
Wang, Y.;Yan, H.; Fu, H. Recent advances and modulation tactics in Ru- and Ir-based electrocatalysts for PEMWE anodes at large current densities. eScience 2025, 5, 100323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esci.2024.100323
Feng, P.;Yang, K.;Liu, X.;Zhang, J.; Li, Z.-P. A review of advanced SOFCs and SOECs: materials, innovative synthesis, functional mechanisms, and system integration. eScience 2025, 5, 100460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esci.2025.100460
Lu, Z.;Niu, W.;He, Y.;Jin, L.;Li, W.;Yang, X.;Sun, K.;Yan, Q.;Chen, J.;Zhang, J.;Shi, W.;Wei, C.;Li, Y.;Lu, H.; Zhang, B. Molybdate‐Leaching‐Induced Bimetallic Catalyst for Efficient Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2025, 17, 2505626. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202505626
Son, Y. J.;Mirshekari, G.;Raaijman, S. J.; Corbett, P. J. Technology Landscape of Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers: Where Are We Today? ACS Energy Lett. 2025, 10, 3058-3063. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c01366
Ma, W.;Morales-Vidal, J.;Tian, J.;Liu, M.-T.;Jin, S.;Ren, W.;Taubmann, J.;Chatzichristodoulou, C.;Luterbacher, J.;Chen, H. M.;López, N.; Hu, X. Encapsulated Co–Ni alloy boosts high-temperature CO2 electroreduction. Nature 2025, 641, 1156-1161. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08978-0
Chen, J.;Ma, Y.;Cheng, C.;Huang, T.;Luo, R.;Xu, J.;Wang, X.;Jiang, T.;Liu, H.;Liu, S.;Huang, T.;Zhang, L.; Chen, W. Cobalt-Doped Ru@RuO2 Core–Shell Heterostructure for Efficient Acidic Water Oxidation in Low-Ru-Loading Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 8720-8731. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c18238
Li, S.;Deng, L.;Hung, S. F.;Zhao, S.;Wang, L.;Hao, Y.;Long, Y.;Li, B.;Hsu, Y. H.;Chen, Y. Y.;Zhang, Y.;Chen, T. Y.;Hu, F.;Li, L.;Hu, Y.;Wu, Y.; Peng, S. Embedded Ir-Ru Single‐Atom Alloy with Self‐Limiting Motifs for Sustainable Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Adv. Mater. 2025, 17, e07340.
Dai, M.;Zhao, D.; Wu, X. Research progress on transition metal oxide based electrode materials for asymmetric hybrid capacitors. Chin. Chem. Lett. 2020, 31, 2177-2188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cclet.2020.02.017
Zhang, Q.;Hao, Y.;Chen, H.;Li, J.;Zeng, Y.;Xiong, J.;Cheng, Y.;Tricoli, A.; Li, F. Toward Energy‐Efficient Alkaline Water Electrolysis: Advances in Mass Transport Optimization and Electrolyzer Design. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 14, e04039. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202504039
Zou, W.;Tang, G.;Peng, K.;Mo, X.;Hu, T.;Yang, Z.; Xu, T. Quinuclidinium‐Based Microporous Anion Exchange Membranes for Water Electrolysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 7, e202514264. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202514264
Yuan, Z.;Liu, Y.;Li, H.;Kong, Q.;Sun, H.;Qiao, Q.;Zhang, X.;Liu, H.;Tan, Y.;Ge, Q.;Xu, T.;Dai, X.; Zhang, X. Poly(terphenyl-diphenylmethane piperidinium) anion exchange membranes assemble with non-precious metal electrodes for high-performance water electrolysis. Sci. China Mater. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-025-3631-1
Klingenhof, M.;Trzesniowski, H.;Koch, S.;Zhu, J.;Zeng, Z.;Metzler, L.;Klinger, A.;Elshamy, M.;Lehmann, F.;Buchheister, P. W.;Weisser, A.;Schmid, G.;Vierrath, S.;Dionigi, F.; Strasser, P. High-performance anion-exchange membrane water electrolysers using NiX (X = Fe,Co,Mn) catalyst-coated membranes with redox-active Ni–O ligands. Nat. Catal. 2024, 7, 1213-1222. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-024-01238-w
Tian, C.;Liu, R.;Lv, Z.;Wang, C.;Liu, W.;Dong, F.;Feng, X.;Yang, W.; Wang, B. Heterogeneous Support Effects for Enhanced Performance in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 15, e01952. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202501952
Li, H.;Lin, Y.;Duan, J.;Wen, Q.;Liu, Y.; Zhai, T. Stability of electrocatalytic OER: from principle to application. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2024, 53, 10709-10740. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CS00010A
Zhang, L.;Qi, F.;Ren, R.;Gu, Y.;Gao, J.;Liang, Y.;Wang, Y.;Zhu, H.;Kong, X.;Zhang, Q.;Zhang, J.; Wu, L. Recent Advances in Green Hydrogen Production by Electrolyzing Water with Anion-Exchange Membrane. Research 2025, 8, 0677. https://doi.org/10.34133/research.0677
Liu, Y.;Vijayakumar, P.;Liu, Q.;Sakthivel, T.;Chen, F.; Dai, Z. Shining Light on Anion-Mixed Nanocatalysts for Efficient Water Electrolysis: Fundamentals, Progress, and Perspectives. Nano-Micro Lett. 2022, 14, 43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-021-00785-2
Chen, Z.;Yang, M.;Li, Y.;Gong, W.;Wang, J.;Liu, T.;Zhang, C.;Hou, S.;Yang, G.;Li, H.;Jin, Y.;Zhang, C.;Tian, Z.;Meng, F.; Cui, Y. Termination-acidity tailoring of molybdenum carbides for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55854-6
Wang, L.-L.;Wang, X.-R.;Wang, H.-J.;Zhang, C.;Li, J.-J.;Feng, G.-J.;Cheng, X.-X.;Qin, X.-R.;Yu, Z.-Y.; Lu, T.-B. Tailoring Lewis Acidity of Metal Oxides on Nickel to Boost Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution in Neutral Electrolyte. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 7555-7563. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c16596
Chen, Y.;Tang, Z.;Liu, Z.;Huang, W. H.;Yeh, M. H.;Pao, C. W.;Tao, H.;Xu, M.;Dong, Z.;Yuan, L.;Pu, M.;Li, B.;Yang, G.;Guo, Y.;Hu, Z.; Zhu, Y. Toward the Ideal Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalyst: a Noble Metal‐Free Antiperovskite Optimized with A‐Site Tuning. Adv. Mater. 2025, 37, 2504607. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504607
Xu, S.;Feng, S.;Yu, Y.;Xue, D.;Liu, M.;Wang, C.;Zhao, K.;Xu, B.; Zhang, J.-N. Dual-site segmentally synergistic catalysis mechanism: boosting CoFeSx nanocluster for sustainable water oxidation. Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 1720. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45700-6
Chen, M.;Kitiphatpiboon, N.;Feng, C.;Abudula, A.;Ma, Y.; Guan, G. Recent progress in transition-metal-oxide-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in natural seawater splitting: A critical review. eScience 2023, 3, 100111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esci.2023.100111
Yue, K.;Lu, R.;Gao, M.;Song, F.; Dai, Y. Polyoxometalated metal-organic framework superstructure for stable water oxidation. Science 2025, 388, 430-436. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ads1466
Zheng, Y.;Serban, A.;Zhang, H.;Chen, N.;Song, F.; Hu, X. Anion Exchange Ionomers Enable Sustained Pure-Water Electrolysis Using Platinum-Group-Metal-Free Electrocatalysts. ACS Energy Lett. 2023, 8, 5018-5024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c01866
Akay, Ö.;Monfort-Castillo, M.;St Francis, T.;Becker, J.;Saravanabavan, S.;Romero-Calvo, Á.; Brinkert, K. Magnetically induced convection enhances water electrolysis in microgravity. Nat. Chem. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-01890-0
Xiong, H.;Zhuang, R.;Cheng, B.;Liu, D.;Du, Y.;Wang, H.;Liu, Y.;Xu, F.; Wang, H. Self‐Supported Metallic Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysts Tolerant for Ampere‐Level Current Densities. Adv. Energy Mater. 2024, 15, 2404077. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202404077
Liu, X.;Chi, J.;Zhao, Y.;Huang, R.;Zhang, H.;Fu, J.;Ren, Z.;Han, Y.;Wei, T.;Song, W.;Yu, H.; Shao, Z. Achieving 2400+ Hours Pure Water‐Fed Electrolysis via Hydroxide Exchange Membrane‐Electrodes Interface Engineering. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202503388
Song, W.;Ge, X.;Wu, L.;Yang, Z.; Xu, T. Bottlenecks of commercializing anion exchange membranes for energy devices. Joule 2025, 9, 102051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2025.102051
Miao, R. K.;Fan, M.;Wang, N.;Zhao, Y.;Li, F.;Liu, M.;Arabyarmohammadi, F.;Liang, Y.;Ni, W.;Xie, K.;Chen, Y.;Sun, P.;Huang, J. E.;Wu, J.;Kim, J.;O’Brien, C. P.;Xiao, Y. C.;Guo, Z.;Papangelakis, P.;Shayesteh Zeraati, A.;Xu, Y.;Dinh, C.-T.;Sargent, E. H.; Sinton, D. CO electrolysers with 51% energy efficiency towards C2+ using porous separators. Nat. Energy 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01846-1
Zhao, D.;Liu, X.;Zhang, W. c.;Wu, X.; Cho, Y. R. Highly Efficient and Stable Mo‐CoP3@FeOOH Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Seawater Splitting. Small Methods 2023, 8, 2301474. https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202301474
Nie, Y.;Fan, L.;Mao, J.;Pan, J.;Hu, C.;Zhu, A.;Hong, Y.;Xie, Z.; Zhang, Q. Effects of cationic groups on poly(biphenyl alkylene)-based anion-exchange membranes for water electrolyzer. J. Membr. Sci. 2025, 735, 124556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2025.124556
Jin, W.;Kim, E. H.;Lee, S.;Yu, S.;Han, H.;Kim, G.;Lee, S. W.;Jang, J.;Lee, C. E.;Shim, W.; Park, C. Tandem Interactive Sensing Display De‐Convoluting Dynamic Pressure and Temperature. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 31, 2010492. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202010492
Zhang, H.;He, X.;Feng, H.;Li, C.; Li, M. A poly(binaphthyl-co-terphenyl quinuclidinium) anion exchange membrane with excellent alkaline stability and anion conductivity. J. Mater. Chem. A 2024, 12, 23570-23576. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA03241A
Li, J.;Li, W.;Wang, X.;Pan, D.;Sa, R.;Xiao, M.;Liu, C.;Xing, W.; Zhu, J. A microphase separation anion exchange membrane based on poly(terphenyl piperidinium)/cationic polyelectrolyte for high-performance AEMWEs. J. Membr. Sci. 2025, 730, 124206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2025.124206
Ma, L.; Wang, T. Rational Understanding Hydroxide Diffusion Mechanism in Anion Exchange Membranes during Electrochemical Processes with RDAnalyzer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202403614. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202403614
Wu, D.;Zhang, N.;Gao, W.;Li, Q.;Gao, X.;Wang, S.; Che, Q. Novel anion-exchange membranes with accelerated hydroxide ion conduction through a quaternized covalent organic framework-doped electrospinning binary polymer. J. Mater. Chem. A 2024, 12, 28805-28817. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA04614E
Liu, W.;Geng, Z.;Guo, S.;Liu, L.;Zhao, L.;Qu, C.;Xia, Q.;Cai, H.;Zhao, X.;Zhu, J.;Chen, J.;Jin, L.; Zhang, C. Hydrogen‐Bonding Enhanced Anion Exchange Membrane for High Performance Alkaline Water Electrolysis. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 1, e03110. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202503110
Wang, C.;Wang, T.;Chen, D.;Ling, Q.;Liu, C.;Li, X.;Wei, H.; Ding, Y. Insights into the Alkaline Stability of Poly(arylene piperidinium)s. Macromolecules 2025, 58, 8335-8343. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.5c01603
Liu, H.;Zhao, D.;Dai, M.;Zhu, X.;Qu, F.;Umar, A.; Wu, X. PEDOT decorated CoNi2S4 nanosheets electrode as bifunctional electrocatalyst for enhanced electrocatalysis. Chem. Eng. J. 2022, 428, 131183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.131183
Nguyen, T. D.;Yeo, D.;Chitumalla, R. K.;Kim, S. J.;Jeong, G. H.;Kwun, D. G.;Jang, J.;Jung, I. H.; Seo, J. Y. Tailor‐Made Buffer Materials: Advancing Uniformity and Stability in Perovskite Solar Cells. Adv. Energy Mater. 2024, 15, 2403633. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202403633
Pan, D.;Chen, S.; Jannasch, P. Alkali-Stable Anion Exchange Membranes Based on Poly(xanthene). ACS Macro Lett. 2022, 12, 20-25. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00672
Willdorf-Cohen, S.;Zhegur-Khais, A.;Ponce-González, J.;Bsoul-Haj, S.;Varcoe, J. R.;Diesendruck, C. E.; Dekel, D. R. Alkaline Stability of Anion-Exchange Membranes. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2023, 6, 1085-1092. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.2c03689
Yang, Y.;Pang, D.;Wang, C.;Fu, Z.;Liu, N.;Liu, J.;Wu, H.;Jia, B.;Guo, Z.;Fan, X.; Zheng, J. Vacancy and Dopant Co‐Constructed Active Microregion in Ru–MoO3−x/Mo2AlB2 for Enhanced Acidic Hydrogen Evolution. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202504084
Qiu, L.;Tian, F.;He, L.;Li, M.;Lin, F.;Li, L.;Ren, X.;Wu, F.;Li, L.;Zhang, T.;Sheng, J.;Yu, Y.;Yang, W.; Guo, S. Robust Interfacial Hydrogen‐Bond Network on Positively Charged Ru‐N‐Ni Dual Sites Boosts Alkaline Hydrogen Electrocatalysis. Adv. Mater. 2025, 22, e12568. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202512568
Hou, L.;Li, Z.;Jang, H.;Kim, M. G.;Cho, J.;Zhong, W.;Liu, S.; Liu, X. Partially Interstitial Silicon‐Implanted Ruthenium as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202423756. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202423756
Zhao, K.;Xiang, N.;Wang, Y.-Q.;Ye, J.;Jin, Z.;Fu, L.;Chang, X.;Wang, D.;Xiao, H.; Xu, B. A molecular design strategy to enhance hydrogen evolution on platinum electrocatalysts. Nat. Energy 2025, 10, 725-736. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01754-4
Li, R.;Zhao, H.;Wang, L.;Zhou, Q.;Yang, X.;Jiang, L.;Luo, X.;Yu, J.;Wei, J.; Mu, S. Strengthened d–p orbital hybridization and hydrogen diffusion in a hollow N-doped porous carbon/Ru cluster catalyst system for hydrogen evolution reactions. Chem. Sci. 2025, 16, 4383-4391. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SC08498E
Qin, Q.;Jang, H.;Jiang, X.;Wang, L.;Wang, X.;Kim, M. G.;Liu, S.;Liu, X.; Cho, J. Constructing Interfacial Oxygen Vacancy and Ruthenium Lewis Acid–Base Pairs to Boost the Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Kinetics. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 63, e202317622. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202317622
Jiang, Y.;Qiu, P.;Liu, Q.;Li, P.; Chen, S. Electric-Double-Layer Mechanism of Surface Oxophilicity in Regulating the Alkaline Hydrogen Electrocatalytic Kinetics. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 14122-14130. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c14511
Xu, P.;von Rueden, A. D.;Schimmenti, R.;Mavrikakis, M.; Suntivich, J. Optical method for quantifying the potential of zero charge at the platinum–water electrochemical interface. Nat. Mater. 2023, 22, 503-510. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01474-8
Jin, H.;Chen, X.;Da, Y.;Fan, L.;Jiang, R.;Xiao, Y.;Yao, B.;He, Q.;Yu, Y.; Chen, W. Identifying the Bifunctional Mechanism in Alkaline Water Electrolysis by Lewis Pairs at the Single-Atom Scale. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 3874-3884. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c18040
Yang, Y.;Dong, M.;Wu, Q.;Qin, C.;Chen, W.;Geng, Y.;Wu, S.;Sun, C.;Shao, K.;Su, Z.; Wang, X. In‐Situ Growth of Metallocluster Inside Heterometal‐Organic Cage to Switch Electron Transfer for Targeted CO2 Photoreduction. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202423018. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202423018
Zhang, J.;Wan, Z.;Bu, X.;Fan, H.;Lou, H.;Gao, J.;Wen, D.; Gao, W. Electronic Interaction Enables Pt Nanoparticles on N‐Doped Porous Carbon Aerogel as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Small 2025, 21, e06453. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202506453
Fan, H.;Wan, X.;Sun, S.;Zhou, X.;Bu, X.;Ye, J.;Bai, R.;Lou, H.;Chen, Y.;Gao, J.;Zhang, J.;Gao, W.; Wen, D. Revealing the Role of Ru‐O‐Ce Interface Coupling in CeO2‐Ru Aerogel for Boosting Hydrogen Evolution Kinetics. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 15, 2405681. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202405681
Cui, W. G.;Ren, X.;Wang, S.;Zhang, Y.;Li, Z.;Wang, K.;Gao, F.;Shen, Z.;Liu, Y.;Wang, X.;Wu, Z.;Yang, Y.;Wang, D.; Pan, H. Modulating the Structure of Interfacial Water via Oxygen‐Coordinated Tungsten Single‐Atom on Nickel Sulfide Slab to Boost Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 1, e03257. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202503257
Li, P.;Jiang, Y.-L.;Men, Y.;Jiao, Y.-Z.; Chen, S. Kinetic cation effect in alkaline hydrogen electrocatalysis and double layer proton transfer. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 1844. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56966-9
Li, Z.;Lin, Y.;Garaga, M. N.;Greenbaum, S. G.;Liao, M.;Ruan, J.;Li, Q.;Li, Y.;Sun, D.;Xu, K.;Fang, F.; Wang, F. Quantitative and mechanistic insights into proton dynamics for fast energy storage. Nat. Mater. 2025, 10.1038/s41563-025-02366-9. Wu, B.;Qi, K.;Petit, T.;Zhang, F.;Xu, Z. J.; Fu, H. Modulation of Interfacial Water at Gas–Liquid–Solid Interface for Water Electrolysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 1, e202507327.
Li, C.-Y.;Le, J.-B.;Wang, Y.-H.;Chen, S.;Yang, Z.-L.;Li, J.-F.;Cheng, J.; Tian, Z.-Q. In situ probing electrified interfacial water structures at atomically flat surfaces. Nat. Mater. 2019, 18, 697-701. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0356-x
Yang, C.;Gao, Y.;Xing, Z.;Shu, X.;Zhuang, Z.;Wang, Y.;Zheng, Y.;Li, S.;Cheng, C.;Wang, D.; Zhang, J. Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 6459. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61871-2
Yue, K.;Lu, R.;Gao, M.; Song, F. Polyoxometalated metal-organic framework superstructure for stable water oxidation. Science 2025, 388, 430-436. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ads1466
Li, L.-J.;He, Y.;Yang, Y.;Guo, J.;Lu, Z.;Wang, C.;Zhu, S.; Zhu, S.-F. Recent Advances in Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni-Catalyzed Organic Reactions. CCS Chem. 2024, 6, 537-584. https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.023.202303412
Dong, H.;Jiang, J.;Xie, S.;Lin, C.;Wei, P.;Zhang, X.;Hu, P.;Iwuoha, E. I.; Peng, X. Transition metal phosphides for efficient hydrogen evolution: Synthesis, multiscale regulation, and industrial prospects. Appl. Energy 2025, 400, 126550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126550
Liu, G.;Ding, L.;Meng, Y.;Ali, A.;Zuo, G.;Meng, X.;Chang, K.;Li, O. L.; Ye, J. A review on ultra‐small undoped MoS2 as advanced catalysts for renewable fuel production. Carbon Energy 2024, 6, e521. https://doi.org/10.1002/cey2.521
Pi, C.;Li, X.;Zhang, X.;Song, H.;Zheng, Y.;Gao, B.;Kızılaslan, A.;Chu, P. K.; Huo, K. In‐Plane Mott–Schottky Effects Enabling Efficient Hydrogen Evolution from Mo5N6‐MoS2 Heterojunction Nanosheets in Universal‐pH Electrolytes. Small 2022, 18, 2201137. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202201137
Wan, R.;Yuan, T.;Wang, L.;Li, B.;Liu, M.; Zhao, B. Earth-abundant electrocatalysts for acidic oxygen evolution. Nat. Catal. 2024, 7, 1288-1304. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-024-01266-6
Li, Z.;Li, B.;Yu, M.;Yu, C.; Shen, P. Amorphous metallic ultrathin nanostructures: A latent ultra-high-density atomic-level catalyst for electrochemical energy conversion. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 2022, 47, 26956-26977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.06.049
Lu, X.;Yan, K.;Yu, Z.;Wang, J.;Liu, R.;Zhang, R.;Qiao, Y.; Xiong, J. Transition metal phosphides: synthesis nanoarchitectonics, catalytic properties, and biomass conversion applications. ChemSusChem 2024, 17, e202301687. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202301687
Liu, X.;He, Z.;Ajmal, M.;Shi, C.;Gao, R.;Pan, L.;Huang, Z.-F.;Zhang, X.; Zou, J.-J. Recent Advances in the Comprehension and Regulation of Lattice Oxygen Oxidation Mechanism in Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Trans. Tianjin Univ. 2023, 29, 247-253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12209-023-00364-z
Hu, E.;Feng, Y.;Nai, J.;Zhao, D.;Hu, Y.; Lou, X. W. Construction of hierarchical Ni–Co–P hollow nanobricks with oriented nanosheets for efficient overall water splitting. Energy Environ. Sci. 2018, 11, 872-880. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EE00076J
Roy, A.;Kumar, S.;Guilherme Buzanich, A.;Prinz, C.;Götz, E.;Retzmann, A.;Hickel, T.;Bhattacharya, B.; Emmerling, F. Synergistic Catalytic Sites in High‐Entropy Metal Hydroxide Organic Framework for Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2408114. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202408114
Yao, Y.;Zhao, G.;Guo, X.;Xiong, P.;Xu, Z.;Zhang, L.;Chen, C.;Xu, C.;Wu, T.-S.;Soo, Y.-L.;Cui, Z.;Li, M. M.-J.; Zhu, Y. Facet-Dependent Surface Restructuring on Nickel (Oxy)hydroxides: A Self-Activation Process for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 15219-15229. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c02292
Qian, Z.-X.;Liang, G.-H.;Shen, L.-F.;Zhang, G.;Zheng, S.;Tian, J.-H.;Li, J.-F.; Zhang, H. Phase Engineering Facilitates O–O Coupling via Lattice Oxygen Mechanism for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution on Nickel–Iron Phosphide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 147, 1334-1343. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c15847
Wang, X.;Zhong, H.;Xi, S.;Lee, W. S. V.; Xue, J. Understanding of Oxygen Redox in the Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Adv. Mater. 2022, 34, 2107956. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202107956
Zhang, T.;Zhao, H.-F.;Chen, Z.-J.;Yang, Q.;Gao, N.;Li, L.;Luo, N.;Zheng, J.;Bao, S.-D.;Peng, J.;Peng, X.;Liu, X.-W.; Yu, H.-B. High-entropy alloy enables multi-path electron synergism and lattice oxygen activation for enhanced oxygen evolution activity. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 3327. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58648-y
Li, L.;Lin, C.;Ma, X.;Ma, Y.;Zhu, A.;Xie, Z.; Zhang, Q. Rational design of membrane electrode assembly for durable anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. Chem. Eng. J. 2025, 508, 160916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.160916
Zhou, W.;Huang, Y.;Cai, H.;Wang, T.;Li, H.;Zhang, C.;Zhao, L.;Chen, L.;Liao, M.;Tang, Z.;Chen, K.;Gu, J.;Gao, W.;Fan, Z.; Wen, Z. A Strongly Coupled Cluster Heterostructure with Pt–N-Mo Bonding for Durable and Efficient H2 Evolution in Anion-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers. Nano-Micro Lett. 2025, 17, 296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01798-x
Fan, S.;Yao, R.;Niu, Y.;Yao, J.;Sun, Y.;Li, J.; Liu, G. Ultralow-loading Ru clusters on S-doped Co3O4 for synergistic multi-site electrocatalysis toward industrial-current AEMWE hydrogen evolution. Appl. Catal. B: Environ. 2026, 382, 126023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.126023
Shirwalkar, A.;Kaur, M.;Zhong, S.;Pupucevski, M.;Hu, K.;Yan, Y.;Lattimer, J.; McKone, J. Comparing Intrinsic Catalytic Activity and Practical Performance of Ni- and Pt-Based Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Cathodes. ACS Energy Lett. 2025, 10, 1779-1785. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c00439
Guo, D.;Shi, Z.;El‐Demellawi, J. K.;Wahyudi, W.;Arsalan, M.;Zhang, H.; Alshareef, H. N. Lithium Metal Batteries for High Temperature Environments. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 1, e02943. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202502943
Xiao, X.;Li, Z.;Xiong, Y.; Yang, Y.-W. IrMo Nanocluster-Doped Porous Carbon Electrocatalysts Derived from Cucurbit[6]uril Boost Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 16548-16556. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c03489
Li, S.;Liu, W.;Shi, Y.;Wang, T.;Liu, T.;Xue, X.;Li, R.;Qiao, M.;Wu, Z.-Y.; Zhang, W. Ligand-rich oxygen evolution electrocatalysts reconstructed from metal-organic frameworks for anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis. Sci. Bull. 2025, 70, 1976-1985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.04.037
Huang, J.;Wang, H.;Huang, X.;Wang, L.;Chang, Y.;Gao, Y.;Du, Y.; Wang, B. Integrating Machine Learning Insights in Membrane Electrode Assembly for CO2 Electrolysis. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2025, 12, e18997. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202518997
Huang, L.; Qi, R. Electrochemical and operation performance of electrolytic air dehumidification with different catalyst coated membrane methods. Int. J. Green Energy 2022, 20, 934-945. https://doi.org/10.1080/15435075.2022.2126942
Lim, B. H.;Majlan, E. H.;Tajuddin, A.;Husaini, T.;Wan Daud, W. R.;Mohd Radzuan, N. A.; Haque, M. A. Comparison of catalyst-coated membranes and catalyst-coated substrate for PEMFC membrane electrode assembly: A review. Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 2021, 33, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjche.2020.07.044
Ito, H.;Miyazaki, N.;Sugiyama, S.;Ishida, M.;Nakamura, Y.;Iwasaki, S.;Hasegawa, Y.; Nakano, A. Investigations on electrode configurations for anion exchange membrane electrolysis. J. Appl. Electrochem. 2018, 48, 305-316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-018-1159-5
Baibars, I. O.;Huang, H.;Xiao, Y.;Wang, S.;Nie, Y.;Jia, C.;Dastafkan, K.; Zhao, C. Efficient hydrogen evolution at Ni/CeOx interfaces in anion-exchange membrane water electrolysers. Energy Environ. Sci. 2025, 18, 6248-6259. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EE06113F
Zhai, T.;Wang, H.;Beaudoin, S. R.;Zhang, R.;Kwak, M.;Hou, S.;Guo, Z.; Boettcher, S. W. Perovskite Catalysts for Pure-Water-Fed Anion-Exchange-Membrane Electrolyzer Anodes: Co-design of Electrically Conductive Nanoparticle Cores and Active Surfaces. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 15448-15458. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c01621
Xu, G.;Xing, M.;Qiao, Z.;Han, M.;Wu, Y.;Wang, S.; Cao, D. Constructing Ultra‐Stable Electrocatalysts to Achieve Adaptability of Industrial‐Level Alkaline Water Electrolyzers for Fluctuating Renewable Energies. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 15, 2500926. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202500926
Shen, H.;Gao, F.-Y.;Li, H.;Xu, J.;Jaroniec, M.;Zheng, Y.; Qiao, S.-Z. Durable Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis in Low-Alkaline Concentration Electrolyte. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 22677-22685. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c04194
Miller, H. A. Green hydrogen from anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. Curr. Opin. Electrochem. 2022, 36, 101122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coelec.2022.101122
Zhao, J.;Wang, K.;Li, X.;Li, X.;Cui, X.; Zhao, X. Localizing the Long‐Range Disorder of Reconstructed Cobalt Oxyhydroxides for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 12, e202513592. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202513592
Yanagi, R.;Yang, P.;Tricker, A. W.;Chen, Y.;Scott, M. C.;Berlinger, S. A.;Zenyuk, I. V.; Peng, X. Enhancing water and oxygen transport through electrode engineering for AEM water electrolyzers. Joule 2025, 9, 102001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2025.102001
Lin, G.;Dong, A.;Li, Z.;Li, W.;Cao, X.;Zhao, Y.;Wang, L.; Sun, L. An Interlayer Anchored NiMo/MoO2 Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis at High Current Density. Adv. Mater. 2025, 37, 2507525. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202507525
Mao, J.;Liang, J.;Li, Y.;Liu, X.;Ma, F.;Liu, S.;Ouyang, H.;Cai, Z.;Wang, T.;Zhao, Y.;Huang, Y.; Li, Q. Electrochemical Lithiation Regulates the Active Hydrogen Supply on Ru–Sn Nanowires for Hydrogen Evolution Toward the High-Performing Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 7711-7720. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c17373
Ding, S.;Li, Z.;Lin, G.;Ding, Y.;Wang, L.; Sun, L. Post‐Selenium‐Leaching Induced Fast Micro‐Bubble Detachment on Nickel‐Iron‐Based OER Catalyst for Efficient AEM‐WE. Angew. Chem. In. Ed. 2025, 1, e202517132. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202517132
Zheng, X.;Zheng, X.;Gao, M.;Liu, Y.;Pan, H.; Sun, W. Platinum‐Nickel Oxide Cluster‐Cluster Heterostructure Enabling Fast Hydrogen Evolution for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers. Angew. Chem. In. Ed. 2025, 64, e202422062. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202422062
Li, S.;Liu, T.;Zhang, W.;Wang, M.;Zhang, H.;Qin, C.;Zhang, L.;Chen, Y.;Jiang, S.;Liu, D.;Liu, X.;Wang, H.;Luo, Q.;Ding, T.; Yao, T. Highly efficient anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers via chromium-doped amorphous electrocatalysts. Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 3416. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47736-0
Wang, H.;Wang, X.;Gao, F.;Chen, J.;Ren, X.;Shen, Z.;Wang, K.;Qi, F.;Liu, Y.;Gao, Y.;Yang, Y.;Wang, D.;Li, Z.;Cui, W.; Pan, H. Synergistic Catalysis of Pt‐Based High‐Entropy Clusters Coupled with Super‐Hydrophilic CeO2 Enables Efficient Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Adv. Mater. 2025, 12, e14269. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202514269
Jiang, T.;Jiang, X.;Jiang, C.;Wang, J.;Danlos, Y.;Liu, T.;Deng, C.;Chen, C.;Liao, H.; Kyriakou, V. Novel Fe‐Modulating Raney‐Ni Electrodes toward High‐Efficient and Durable AEM Water Electrolyzer. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 1, 2501634. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202501634
Cong, L.;Tang, C.;Li, X.;He, W.;Wang, C.;Angelica, E.; Zhang, Q. Li‐Doping and Pyrolysis Engineered Robust Anode for Intermittency‐Resilient AEM Electrolysis. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 12, e04707. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202504707
Malhotra, D.;Devi, T. A.;Nguyen, T. H.;Dinh, V. A.;Kim, N. H.;Tran, D. T.; Lee, J. H. Realizing tailored catalytic performance on ternary FeP-Ni5P4-CoP in-situ confined Prussian blue analogue framework for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. J. Colloid Inter. Science 2026, 703, 139276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2025.139276
Zhang, J.;Tu, Y.;Xu, X.;Ke, J.;Zhang, L.;Zhong, C.;Zhang, Y.;Du, L.;Jiang, S. P.;Shao, Z.; Cui, Z. A High‐entropy Antiperovskite Nitride Enables Efficient Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Adv. Mater. 2025, 37, 2509042. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202509042
Zhang, T.;Lin, S. a.;Liu, H.;Dong, Y.;Kang, X.;Hu, S.;Li, S.;Zhang, Z.;Yu, Q.; Liu, B. An Ionomer‐Free Gapless Catalyst‐Bridging Membrane Electrode Assembly for High‐Performance Pure Water‐Fed Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer. Adv. Mater. 2025, 12, e09805. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202509805