Recently, the national finals of the 19th National College Students Social Practice and Science Contest on Energy Saving & Emission Reduction successfully concluded.
The project “Decoupled Hydrogen Production · Multifaceted Smart Integration: Low-Energy, Low-Cost Hydrogen Production by Water Electrolysis Based on a Membrane-Free Decoupled System” from the SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) won the second prize! 🎉🎉🎉
▲上海交通大学获奖一览
Project Introduction
Project Members
Feng Ziye, Sun Junzhe, Zhang Panyang, Song Chenjie, Li Shuming, Li Guiying, Li Huiying
Advisor
Cheng Junfang
Project Overview
This project addresses key bottlenecks in conventional hydrogen production by water electrolysis, including high energy consumption, reliance on precious-metal catalysts and ion-exchange membranes, and the explosion risk caused by hydrogen–oxygen mixing. It innovatively proposes a membrane-free decoupled, hydrogen–electricity synergistic hydrogen production approach. The technology uses a bromine-based mediator to replace the energy-intensive oxygen evolution reaction (OER), employs incompletely coordinated Ru single-atom electrodes to efficiently catalyze the bromine evolution reaction (BER) in a near-neutral system, and enables membrane-free electrolyte recovery through a Zn–Br chemical regeneration cycle. By design, the system eliminates the risk of hydrogen–oxygen mixing at the source. It can also be directly coupled with intermittent power sources such as photovoltaics, substantially reducing the cost of large-scale hydrogen production. The project provides a transformative technological pathway toward green hydrogen production featuring low energy consumption, high safety, and off-grid operability.
▲SPEIT undergraduate students Sun Junzhe (Class of 2024), Feng Ziye (Class of 2022), and Song Chenjie (Class of 2022) at the competition venue
▲ Feng Ziye introduces the project at the competition.
The National College Students Social Practice and Science Contest on Energy Saving & Emission Reduction is guided by the Teaching Steering Committee for Energy and Power Disciplines in Higher Education under the Ministry of Education and organized by the National Committee of the competition. With the theme “Building an Energy Powerhouse, Shaping the Future through Smart Innovation,” this year’s competition attracted 7,773 teams from 707 universities, with 320 teams from 133 universities ultimately advancing to the finals.
SJTU selected 15 teams to participate in this year’s competition, with 7 projects advancing to the in-person finals. SPEIT remains committed to promoting learning through competitions, leveraging scientific and technological innovation contests to drive the cultivation of innovative talent and guiding students to contribute to China’s national “dual carbon” goals and the green transformation of the energy sector.
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