Fully printed and integrated electrolyzer cells with additive manufacturing for high-efficiency water splitting

Gaoqiang Yang; Jingke Mo; Zhenye Kang; Yeshi Dohrmann; Frederick A. List; Johney B. Green; Sudarsanam S. Babu; Feng Yuan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.001

Fully printed and integrated electrolyzer cells with additive manufacturing for high-efficiency water splitting

Gaoqiang Yang, Jingke Mo, Zhenye Kang, Yeshi Dohrmann, Frederick A. List, Johney B. Green, Sudarsanam S. Babu, Feng Yuan Zhang

Deposition Science and Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

91 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, a fundamental material and structure innovation was proposed to significantly increase the energy efficiency, and to reduce the weight, volume and component quantity of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Four conventional parts (liquid/gas diffusion layer, bipolar plate, gasket, and current distributor) in a PEMEC were integrated into one multifunctional AM plate without committing to tools or molds for the first time. In addition, since the interfacial contact resistances between those parts were eliminated, the comprehensive in-situ characterizations of AM cells showed that an excellent energy efficiency of up to 86.48% was achieved at 2 A/cm² and 80 °C, and the hydrogen generation rate was increased by 61.81% compared to the conventional cell. More importantly, the highly complex inner structures of the AM integrated multifunctional plates also exhibit the potential to break limitations of conventional manufacture methods for hydrogen generation and to open a door for the development of other energy conversion devices, including fuel cells, solar cells and batteries.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	202-210
Number of pages	9
Journal	Applied Energy
Volume	215
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.001
State	Published - Apr 1 2018

Funding

This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The authors greatly appreciate the support from U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory under Award DE-FE0011585 , Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office, under Contract DE-AC05-000R22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC, and the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility. The authors also wish to express their appreciation to Dr. Scott T. Retterer, Dr. David A. Cullen, Douglas Warnberg, Alexander Terekhov, Dale K. Hensley, and Kathleen Lansford for their help.

Funders	Funder number
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
U.S. Department of Energy
Advanced Manufacturing Office	DE-AC05-000R22725
Office of Science
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
National Energy Technology Laboratory	DE-FE0011585

Keywords

3D printing
Additive manufacturing
Hydrogen energy
Integrated electrolyzer cell
Multifunctional materials
Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells
Water splitting

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.001

Cite this

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title = "Fully printed and integrated electrolyzer cells with additive manufacturing for high-efficiency water splitting",

abstract = "Using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, a fundamental material and structure innovation was proposed to significantly increase the energy efficiency, and to reduce the weight, volume and component quantity of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Four conventional parts (liquid/gas diffusion layer, bipolar plate, gasket, and current distributor) in a PEMEC were integrated into one multifunctional AM plate without committing to tools or molds for the first time. In addition, since the interfacial contact resistances between those parts were eliminated, the comprehensive in-situ characterizations of AM cells showed that an excellent energy efficiency of up to 86.48% was achieved at 2 A/cm2 and 80 °C, and the hydrogen generation rate was increased by 61.81% compared to the conventional cell. More importantly, the highly complex inner structures of the AM integrated multifunctional plates also exhibit the potential to break limitations of conventional manufacture methods for hydrogen generation and to open a door for the development of other energy conversion devices, including fuel cells, solar cells and batteries.",

keywords = "3D printing, Additive manufacturing, Hydrogen energy, Integrated electrolyzer cell, Multifunctional materials, Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells, Water splitting",

author = "Gaoqiang Yang and Jingke Mo and Zhenye Kang and Yeshi Dohrmann and List, {Frederick A.} and Green, {Johney B.} and Babu, {Sudarsanam S.} and Zhang, {Feng Yuan}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018",

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doi = "10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.001",

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AU - Yang, Gaoqiang

AU - Mo, Jingke

AU - Kang, Zhenye

AU - Dohrmann, Yeshi

AU - List, Frederick A.

AU - Green, Johney B.

AU - Babu, Sudarsanam S.

AU - Zhang, Feng Yuan

PY - 2018/4/1

Y1 - 2018/4/1

N2 - Using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, a fundamental material and structure innovation was proposed to significantly increase the energy efficiency, and to reduce the weight, volume and component quantity of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Four conventional parts (liquid/gas diffusion layer, bipolar plate, gasket, and current distributor) in a PEMEC were integrated into one multifunctional AM plate without committing to tools or molds for the first time. In addition, since the interfacial contact resistances between those parts were eliminated, the comprehensive in-situ characterizations of AM cells showed that an excellent energy efficiency of up to 86.48% was achieved at 2 A/cm2 and 80 °C, and the hydrogen generation rate was increased by 61.81% compared to the conventional cell. More importantly, the highly complex inner structures of the AM integrated multifunctional plates also exhibit the potential to break limitations of conventional manufacture methods for hydrogen generation and to open a door for the development of other energy conversion devices, including fuel cells, solar cells and batteries.

AB - Using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, a fundamental material and structure innovation was proposed to significantly increase the energy efficiency, and to reduce the weight, volume and component quantity of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Four conventional parts (liquid/gas diffusion layer, bipolar plate, gasket, and current distributor) in a PEMEC were integrated into one multifunctional AM plate without committing to tools or molds for the first time. In addition, since the interfacial contact resistances between those parts were eliminated, the comprehensive in-situ characterizations of AM cells showed that an excellent energy efficiency of up to 86.48% was achieved at 2 A/cm2 and 80 °C, and the hydrogen generation rate was increased by 61.81% compared to the conventional cell. More importantly, the highly complex inner structures of the AM integrated multifunctional plates also exhibit the potential to break limitations of conventional manufacture methods for hydrogen generation and to open a door for the development of other energy conversion devices, including fuel cells, solar cells and batteries.

KW - 3D printing

KW - Additive manufacturing

KW - Hydrogen energy

KW - Integrated electrolyzer cell

KW - Multifunctional materials

KW - Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

KW - Water splitting

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SN - 0306-2619

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JO - Applied Energy

JF - Applied Energy

ER -

Fully printed and integrated electrolyzer cells with additive manufacturing for high-efficiency water splitting

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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