Enhancing proton exchange membrane water electrolysis by building electron/proton pathways

Liyan Zhu; Hao Zhang; Aojie Zhang; Tian Tian; Yuhan Shen; Mingjuan Wu; Neng Li; Haolin Tang

Advanced Powder Materials (Aug 2024)

Enhancing proton exchange membrane water electrolysis by building electron/proton pathways

Liyan Zhu,
Hao Zhang,
Aojie Zhang,
Tian Tian,
Yuhan Shen,
Mingjuan Wu,
Neng Li,
Haolin Tang

Affiliations

Liyan Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Hao Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Aojie Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Tian Tian: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China; National Energy Key Laboratory for New Hydrogen-ammonia Energy Technologies, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, Foshan 528200, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
Yuhan Shen: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Mingjuan Wu: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Neng Li: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China; Corresponding author.
Haolin Tang: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China; National Energy Key Laboratory for New Hydrogen-ammonia Energy Technologies, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, Foshan 528200, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell, Wuhan 430070, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 4
p. 100203

Abstract

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Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) plays a critical role in practical hydrogen production. Except for the electrode activities, the widespread deployment of PEMWE is severely obstructed by the poor electron-proton permeability across the catalyst layer (CL) and the inefficient transport structure. In this work, the PEDOT:F (Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):perfluorosulfonic acid) ionomers with mixed proton-electron conductor (MPEC) were fabricated, which allows for a homogeneous anodic CL structure and the construction of a highly efficient triple-phase interface. The PEDOT:F exhibits strong perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) side chain extensibility, enabling the formation of large hydrophilic ion clusters that form proton-electron transport channels within the CL networks, thus contributing to the surface reactant water adsorption. The PEMWE device employing membrane electrode assembly (MEA) prepared by PEDOT:F-2 demonstrates a competitive voltage of 1.713 V under a water-splitting current of 2 A cm−2 (1.746 V at 2A cm−2 for MEA prepared by Nafion D520), along with exceptional long-term stability. Meanwhile, the MEA prepared by PEDOT:F-2 also exhibits lower ohmic resistance, which is reduced by 23.4 % and 17.6 % at 0.1 A cm−2 and 1.5 A cm−2, respectively, as compared to the MEA prepared by D520. The augmentation can be ascribed to the superior proton and electron conductivity inherent in PEDOT:F, coupled with its remarkable structural stability. This characteristic enables expeditious mass transfer during electrolytic reactions, thereby enhancing the performance of PEMWE devices.

Published in Advanced Powder Materials

ISSN: 2772-834X (Online)
Publisher: KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Technology: Mining engineering. Metallurgy
Website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/advanced-powder-materials/

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