Joule-Heating-Driven Encapsulation of FeCo Nanoparticles in Ion-Selective Carbon Shell for Stable Seawater Electrolysis.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in seawater is notoriously hindered by slow kinetics and high overpotential, compounded by chloride-induced corrosion, which impedes efficient hydrogen production via seawater electrolysis. A key challenge is to devise an OER catalyst that not only mitigates chlorine oxidation and corrosion but is also cost-effective. In this work, the bimetallic iron-cobalt (FeCo) nanoparticles are swiftly encapsulated within N-doped carbon shells in mere seconds using the Joule-heating technique, a process significantly faster than the several hours required by traditional furnace heating.