Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

Zhenye Kang; Jingke Mo; Gaoqiang Yang; Yifan Li; Derrick A. Talley; Scott T. Retterer; David A. Cullen; Todd J. Toops; Michael P. Brady; Guido Bender; Bryan S. Pivovar; Johney B. Green; Feng Yuan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004

Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

Zhenye Kang, Jingke Mo, Gaoqiang Yang, Yifan Li, Derrick A. Talley, Scott T. Retterer, David A. Cullen, Todd J. Toops, Michael P. Brady, Guido Bender, Bryan S. Pivovar, Johney B. Green, Feng Yuan Zhang

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

79 Scopus citations

Abstract

A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cell (PEMEC) is one of the most promising devices for high-efficiency and low-cost energy storage and ultrahigh purity hydrogen production. As one of the critical components in PEMECs, the titanium thin/tunable LGDL (TT-LGDL) with its advantages of small thickness, planar surface, straight-through pores, and well-controlled pore morphologies, achieved superior multifunctional performance for hydrogen and oxygen production from water splitting even at low temperature. Different thin film surface treatments on the novel TT-LGDLs for enhancing the interfacial contacts and PEMEC performance were investigated both in-situ and ex-situ for the first time. Surface modified TT-LGDLs with about 180 nm thick Au thin film yielded performance improvement (voltage reduction), from 1.6849 V with untreated TT-LGDLs to only 1.6328 V with treated TT-LGDLs at 2.0 A/cm² and 80 °C. Furthermore, the hydrogen/oxygen production rate was increased by about 28.2% at 1.60 V and 80 °C. The durability test demonstrated that the surface treated TT-LGDL has good stability as well. The gold electroplating surface treatment is a promising method for the PEMEC performance enhancement and titanium material protection even in harsh environment.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	983-990
Number of pages	8
Journal	Applied Energy
Volume	206
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004
State	Published - 2017

Funding

The authors greatly appreciate the support from U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory under Award DE-FE0011585, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory under Award DE-AC36-08GO28308. This research was partially conducted at 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. Bo Han, William Barnhill, Stuart Steen, Dale Hensley, Dayrl Briggs, Alexander Terekhov, Douglas Warnberg, and Kate Lansford for their help.

Keywords

Electroplating
Hydrogen/oxygen production
Liquid/gas diffusion layers
Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells
Surface treatment
Water splitting

UN SDGs

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

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10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004

Cite this

Kang, Z., Mo, J., Yang, G., Li, Y., Talley, D. A., Retterer, S. T., Cullen, D. A., Toops, T. J., Brady, M. P., Bender, G., Pivovar, B. S., Green, J. B., & Zhang, F. Y. (2017). Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. Applied Energy, 206, 983-990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004

@article{03d5c9c68b084396b11482593d4a6adf,

title = "Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells",

abstract = "A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cell (PEMEC) is one of the most promising devices for high-efficiency and low-cost energy storage and ultrahigh purity hydrogen production. As one of the critical components in PEMECs, the titanium thin/tunable LGDL (TT-LGDL) with its advantages of small thickness, planar surface, straight-through pores, and well-controlled pore morphologies, achieved superior multifunctional performance for hydrogen and oxygen production from water splitting even at low temperature. Different thin film surface treatments on the novel TT-LGDLs for enhancing the interfacial contacts and PEMEC performance were investigated both in-situ and ex-situ for the first time. Surface modified TT-LGDLs with about 180 nm thick Au thin film yielded performance improvement (voltage reduction), from 1.6849 V with untreated TT-LGDLs to only 1.6328 V with treated TT-LGDLs at 2.0 A/cm2 and 80 °C. Furthermore, the hydrogen/oxygen production rate was increased by about 28.2% at 1.60 V and 80 °C. The durability test demonstrated that the surface treated TT-LGDL has good stability as well. The gold electroplating surface treatment is a promising method for the PEMEC performance enhancement and titanium material protection even in harsh environment.",

keywords = "Electroplating, Hydrogen/oxygen production, Liquid/gas diffusion layers, Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells, Surface treatment, Water splitting",

author = "Zhenye Kang and Jingke Mo and Gaoqiang Yang and Yifan Li and Talley, {Derrick A.} and Retterer, {Scott T.} and Cullen, {David A.} and Toops, {Todd J.} and Brady, {Michael P.} and Guido Bender and Pivovar, {Bryan S.} and Green, {Johney B.} and Zhang, {Feng Yuan}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2017",

doi = "10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004",

language = "English",

volume = "206",

pages = "983--990",

journal = "Applied Energy",

issn = "0306-2619",

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Kang, Z, Mo, J, Yang, G, Li, Y, Talley, DA, Retterer, ST , Cullen, DA , Toops, TJ, Brady, MP, Bender, G, Pivovar, BS, Green, JB & Zhang, FY 2017, 'Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells', Applied Energy, vol. 206, pp. 983-990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004

TY - JOUR

T1 - Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

AU - Kang, Zhenye

AU - Mo, Jingke

AU - Yang, Gaoqiang

AU - Li, Yifan

AU - Talley, Derrick A.

AU - Retterer, Scott T.

AU - Cullen, David A.

AU - Toops, Todd J.

AU - Brady, Michael P.

AU - Bender, Guido

AU - Pivovar, Bryan S.

AU - Green, Johney B.

AU - Zhang, Feng Yuan

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cell (PEMEC) is one of the most promising devices for high-efficiency and low-cost energy storage and ultrahigh purity hydrogen production. As one of the critical components in PEMECs, the titanium thin/tunable LGDL (TT-LGDL) with its advantages of small thickness, planar surface, straight-through pores, and well-controlled pore morphologies, achieved superior multifunctional performance for hydrogen and oxygen production from water splitting even at low temperature. Different thin film surface treatments on the novel TT-LGDLs for enhancing the interfacial contacts and PEMEC performance were investigated both in-situ and ex-situ for the first time. Surface modified TT-LGDLs with about 180 nm thick Au thin film yielded performance improvement (voltage reduction), from 1.6849 V with untreated TT-LGDLs to only 1.6328 V with treated TT-LGDLs at 2.0 A/cm2 and 80 °C. Furthermore, the hydrogen/oxygen production rate was increased by about 28.2% at 1.60 V and 80 °C. The durability test demonstrated that the surface treated TT-LGDL has good stability as well. The gold electroplating surface treatment is a promising method for the PEMEC performance enhancement and titanium material protection even in harsh environment.

AB - A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cell (PEMEC) is one of the most promising devices for high-efficiency and low-cost energy storage and ultrahigh purity hydrogen production. As one of the critical components in PEMECs, the titanium thin/tunable LGDL (TT-LGDL) with its advantages of small thickness, planar surface, straight-through pores, and well-controlled pore morphologies, achieved superior multifunctional performance for hydrogen and oxygen production from water splitting even at low temperature. Different thin film surface treatments on the novel TT-LGDLs for enhancing the interfacial contacts and PEMEC performance were investigated both in-situ and ex-situ for the first time. Surface modified TT-LGDLs with about 180 nm thick Au thin film yielded performance improvement (voltage reduction), from 1.6849 V with untreated TT-LGDLs to only 1.6328 V with treated TT-LGDLs at 2.0 A/cm2 and 80 °C. Furthermore, the hydrogen/oxygen production rate was increased by about 28.2% at 1.60 V and 80 °C. The durability test demonstrated that the surface treated TT-LGDL has good stability as well. The gold electroplating surface treatment is a promising method for the PEMEC performance enhancement and titanium material protection even in harsh environment.

KW - Electroplating

KW - Hydrogen/oxygen production

KW - Liquid/gas diffusion layers

KW - Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

KW - Surface treatment

KW - Water splitting

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029373053&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004

DO - 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.004

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85029373053

SN - 0306-2619

VL - 206

SP - 983

EP - 990

JO - Applied Energy

JF - Applied Energy

ER -

Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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