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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCScience Advances

Mesoscale hydrogen-bond network engineering controls quantum-coherent proton transport to suppress aluminum corrosion

  • Hao Cheng1
  • Zheng Li2
  • Guoxuan Li1
  • Z Chen1
  • Jiebin Zheng1
  • Zhengwei Kang1
  • Cong Huang3
  • Wei Zhang4,1
  • Hui Ying Yang3
  • Zhongliang Tian1
4 affiliations
  1. 1School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
  2. 2School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
  3. 3Department of Material Science and Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
  4. 4Christopher Ingold Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
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Abstract

The hydrogen evolution reaction fundamentally constrains the use of aluminum in acidic electrochemical systems. Existing strategies rely on alloying or interfacial passivation and overlook how the electrolyte controls proton transport (PT) to the metal surface. Here, we demonstrate that the Gutmann donor number (DN) provides a quantitative molecular lever to regulate PT through the aqueous medium and suppress hydrogen evolution corrosion of aluminum. High-DN additives reorganize the electrolyte into compartmentalized domains that disrupt long-range PT and force protons onto tortuous, high-barrier pathways. Using water (DN = 18 kilocalories per mole) as a benchmark, additives exceeding this threshold increase the hydrogen evolution overpotential by ~20 to 70 millivolts at 10 milliamperes per square centimeter and reduce the corrosion current density from 7.44 to 2.23 milliamperes per square centimeter, following an approximately inverse linear dependence on DN. These results establish a direct link between a molecular donor descriptor and mesoscale hydrogen-bond networks, revealing a materials-agnostic strategy for corrosion suppression through targeted control of proton dynamics.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{cheng2026mesoscale,
  title = {{Mesoscale hydrogen-bond network engineering controls quantum-coherent proton transport to suppress aluminum corrosion}},
  author = {Hao Cheng and Zheng Li and Guoxuan Li and Z Chen and Jiebin Zheng and Zhengwei Kang and Cong Huang and Wei Zhang and Hui Ying Yang and Zhongliang Tian},
  journal = {Science Advances},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aef4850},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef4850},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Mesoscale hydrogen-bond network engineering controls quantum-coherent proton transport to suppress aluminum corrosion
AU  - Hao Cheng
AU  - Zheng Li
AU  - Guoxuan Li
AU  - Z Chen
AU  - Jiebin Zheng
AU  - Zhengwei Kang
AU  - Cong Huang
AU  - Wei Zhang
AU  - Hui Ying Yang
AU  - Zhongliang Tian
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/22
JO  - Science Advances
DO  - 10.1126/sciadv.aef4850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef4850
AB  - The hydrogen evolution reaction fundamentally constrains the use of aluminum in acidic electrochemical systems. Existing strategies rely on alloying or interfacial passivation and overlook how the electrolyte controls proton transport (PT) to the metal surface. Here, we demonstrate that the Gutmann donor number (DN) provides a quantitative molecular lever to regulate PT through the aqueous medium and suppress hydrogen evolution corrosion of aluminum. High-DN additives reorganize the electrolyte into compartmentalized domains that disrupt long-range PT and force protons onto tortuous, high-barrier pathways. Using water (DN = 18 kilocalories per mole) as a benchmark, additives exceeding this threshold increase the hydrogen evolution overpotential by ~20 to 70 millivolts at 10 milliamperes per square centimeter and reduce the corrosion current density from 7.44 to 2.23 milliamperes per square centimeter, following an approximately inverse linear dependence on DN. These results establish a direct link between a molecular donor descriptor and mesoscale hydrogen-bond networks, revealing a materials-agnostic strategy for corrosion suppression through targeted control of proton dynamics.
SN  - 2375-2548
ER  -