Square-meter-scale nickel-based anode: Facile room-temperature construction for efficient industrial water electrolysis

The development of cost-effective and energy-efficient anode materials is essential for the advancement of industrial water electrolysis. Herein, we report a rapid, ambient-temperature method to prepare large-area nickel mesh electrodes (SFN/NM) via surface functionalization completed within 3 min, without relying on thermal treatments or noble metals. The as-prepared electrodes achieve a high current density of 100 mA/cm² at an overpotential of just 300 mV in 6 mol/L KOH, and exhibit remarkable stability over 1600 h of continuous operation. With comparable activity to commercial Raney nickel yet significantly lower processing and material costs (reduced by 50 %–70 %), this approach provides a practical solution for low-energy water splitting. Beyond its industrial relevance, the strategy offers a scalable model for engineering high-performance OER electrodes, inspiring future directions in electrocatalyst design.