Electrocatalytically driven fast removal of moisture by condensation of vapor and water splitting

Abstract In this paper, an electrocatalytically driven fast removal of moisture adsorbed onto the surface to the air is described. It is a two-electrode electrochemical cell based on the nickel-copper-phosphide film as a biofunctional catalyst. The overpotentials for HER and OER are significantly reduced by the Cu incorporation to the nickel-phosphide, ascribed to the low charge transfer resistance. The long-term stability at high voltage (>10 V) is also obtained by introducing an oxygen-rich layer in the near-surface region of the film in the OER electrode. The devices are proven to remove water (pH 7.0) with a rate of approximately 0.6 ml/h at 10 V, reducing the water content in the air. A flexible cell with transparency over 90% is also fabricated and the water removal capability is found to maintain over 75% at a curvature of 0.18/cm.