Skip to content
1900

Impact of Cell Design and Conditioning on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Water Electrolyzer Operation

Abstract

Integration of polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) for clean hydrogen generation requires a robust understanding of the impact cell designs and conditioning protocols have on operation and stability. Here, catalyst-coated electrode and catalyst-coated membrane cells employing Pt/C cathode catalyst layer, an IrO2 anode catalyst layer, with a platinized titanium mesh or a carbon paper with a microporous layer as the porous transport layer were developed. The impact of cell conditioning above and below 0.25 A cm− 2 was investigated using advanced electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses and microscopic imaging, with the electrochemical response related to physicochemical processes. Operation below 0.25 A cm− 2 prior to operation above 0.25 A cm− 2 resulted in anode corrosion and titanium cation contamination, increasing the cell voltage at 1 A cm− 2 by 200 mV compared to uncontaminated cells. Conditioning above 0.25 A cm− 2 led to nonnegligible hydrogen transport resistances due to cathode flooding that resulted in a ca. 50 mV contribution at 1 A cm− 2 and convoluted with the anode impedance response. The presence of a microporous layer increased catalyst utilization but increased the cell voltage by 300 mV at 1 A cm− 2 due to increased anodic mass transport resistances. These results yield critical insights into the impact of PEMWE cell design and operation on corresponding cell performance and stability while highlighting the need for application dependent standardized operating protocols and operational windows.

Funding source: P.K.G. acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC CGS-D) and Killam Predoctoral Scholarship Level 2. M.S.F. acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC-DG, NSERCCREATE, NSERC-RTI), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI-IF, CFI-JELF), and Research Nova Scotia Trust.
Related subjects: Production & Supply Chain
Countries: Canada
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal6302
2024-11-21
2024-12-13
/content/journal6302
Loading
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error