{
  "abstract": "Traditional water electrolysis imposes a significant freshwater demand. This study evaluates alternative non-potable feedstocks to reduce this dependency. We present a comparative performance analysis of user-fabricated, three-dimensional (3D) porous nickel-plated steel wool scaffolds versus conventional flat nickel control strips. Testing was conducted across tap water, rainwater, and greywater utilizing a near-neutral sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) electrolyte. Operational performance was quantified via volumetric hydrogen (H2) yield, Faradaic efficiency, and cost-normalized output (mL/$). The porous electrode significantly outperformed the flat strip, increasing Faradaic efficiency by 7% in tap water and 5% in rainwater. Furthermore, the 3D scaffold achieved up to an 8.7× greater hydrogen yield per dollar. These results demonstrate the bench-scale feasibility of low-cost, structured electrodes for reducing freshwater dependence in water electrolysis.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "UCLA Scientist Program",
    "University of California"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Kyle Liou",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-7630-9894"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5sk509fzzhrcy.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15009496/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "5sk509fzzhrcy",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009496/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2105|Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214679805",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009496/v1",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-27",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5sk509fzzhrcy.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:21Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15009496",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009496/v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2105|Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion",
      "subfield": "electrochemistry-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Comparative Evaluation of Nickel-Plated Steel Wool and Nickel Strip Electrodes for Hydrogen Production from Non-Potable Water Sources",
  "title_text": "Comparative Evaluation of Nickel-Plated Steel Wool and Nickel Strip Electrodes for Hydrogen Production from Non-Potable Water Sources",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:21Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5sk509fzzhrcy",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}