Proton exchange membrane-like alkaline water electrolysis using flow-engineered three-dimensional electrodes.

Autor: Rocha F; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Georgiadis C; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Van Droogenbroek K; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Delmelle R; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Pinon X; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Pyka G; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Kerckhofs G; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Egert F; Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center, Stuttgart, Germany.; University of Stuttgart, Faculty 6 - Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy, Stuttgart, Germany., Razmjooei F; Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center, Stuttgart, Germany., Ansar SA; Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, German Aerospace Center, Stuttgart, Germany., Mitsushima S; Division of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan., Proost J; Division of Materials and Process Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. joris.proost@uclouvain.be.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature communications [Nat Commun] 2024 Aug 28; Vol. 15 (1), pp. 7444. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 28.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51704-z
Abstrakt: For high rate water electrolysers, minimising Ohmic losses through efficient gas bubble evacuation away from the active electrode is as important as minimising activation losses by improving the electrode's electrocatalytic properties. In this work, by a combined experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach, we identify the topological parameters of flow-engineered 3-D electrodes that direct their performance towards enhanced bubble evacuation. In particular, we show that integrating Ni-based foam electrodes into a laterally-graded bi-layer zero-gap cell configuration allows for alkaline water electrolysis to become Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)-like, even when keeping a state-of-the-art Zirfon diaphragm. Detailed CFD simulations, explicitly taking into account the entire 3-D electrode and cell topology, show that under a forced uniform upstream electrolyte flow, such a graded structure induces a high lateral velocity component in the direction normal to and away from the diaphragm. This work is therefore an invitation to start considering PEM-like cell designs for alkaline water electrolysis as well, in particular the use of square or rectangular electrodes in flow-through type electrochemical cells.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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