Abstract
Improved activity and durability performance of a two-cell (86 cm2) proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) stack is reported for the first time. Both membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) contain one order of magnitude lower platinum group metal (PGM) loadings compared to the state-of-the-art PEMWEs and incorporate novel Pt recombination layers. The high-performance and cost-effective MEAs are fabricated by the unique reactive spray deposition technology (RSDT). This advanced methodology allows for one-step fabrication of MEAs and ensures precise control and distribution of the catalyst composition and loading. The RSDT-fabricated MEAs contain only 0.2 and 0.3 mgPGM cm−2 loading in the cathode and anode electrodes, respectively, and demonstrate excellent activity and durability for over 3000 h of operation at industrially-relevant operating conditions without showing significant loss in performance. This novel work shows that a significant cost reduction for PEMWEs is achieved while maintaining excellent durability, high catalysts activities, and low hydrogen cross-over.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1526-1539 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 6 2021 |
Funding
The authors would like to respectfully acknowledge the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for financial support of this work (award number: DE-EE0008427). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Energy. The authors would also like to sincerely thank the University of Connecticut and Nel Hydrogen for providing the research facilities. The authors would like to respectfully acknowledge the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for financial support of this work (award number: DE-EE0008427 ). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Energy. The authors would also like to sincerely thank the University of Connecticut and Nel Hydrogen for providing the research facilities.
Keywords
- High durability
- High-performance
- Low-loaded membrane electrode assembly
- Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer
- Reactive spray deposition technology