TY - JOUR
T1 - Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis
T2 - The Future of Green Hydrogen
AU - Li, Qihao
AU - Molina Villarino, Andrés
AU - Peltier, Cheyenne R.
AU - Macbeth, Alexandra J.
AU - Yang, Yao
AU - Kim, Mi Ju
AU - Shi, Zixiao
AU - Krumov, Mihail R.
AU - Lei, Chong
AU - Rodríguez-Calero, Gabriel G.
AU - Soto, Joesene
AU - Yu, Seung Ho
AU - Mutolo, Paul F.
AU - Xiao, Li
AU - Zhuang, Lin
AU - Muller, David A.
AU - Coates, Geoffrey W.
AU - Zelenay, Piotr
AU - Abruña, Héctor D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2023/5/4
Y1 - 2023/5/4
N2 - Hydrogen-derived power is one of the most promising components of a fossil fuel-independent future when deployed with green and renewable primary energy sources. Energy from the sun, wind, waves/tidal, and other emissions-free sources can power water electrolyzers (WEs), devices that can produce green hydrogen without carbon emissions. According to recent International Renewable Energy Agency reports, most WEs employed in the industry are currently alkaline water electrolyzers and proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs), with ∼200 and ∼70 years of commercialization history, respectively. The former suffers from inherently limited current densities due to inevitable gas crossover, operates using corrosive (7 M) alkaline solutions, and requires large installation footprints, while the latter requires expensive and scarce precious metal-based electrocatalysts. An emerging technology, the anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE), seeks to combine the benefits of both into one device while overcoming the limitations of each. AEMWEs afford higher operating current densities and pressures, similar Faradaic efficiencies when compared to PEMWEs (>90%), rapid ramping/load-following responsiveness, and the use of non-noble metal catalysts and pure water feed. While recent reports show promising device performance, close to 3 A/cm2 for AEMWEs with 1 M KOH or pure water feed, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that govern device performance and stability is required for the technology to compete and flourish. Herein, we briefly discuss the fundamentals of AEMWEs in terms of device components, catalysts, membranes, and long-term stability/durability. We provide our perspective on where the field is going and offer our opinion on how specific performance and stability tests should be performed to facilitate the development of the field.
AB - Hydrogen-derived power is one of the most promising components of a fossil fuel-independent future when deployed with green and renewable primary energy sources. Energy from the sun, wind, waves/tidal, and other emissions-free sources can power water electrolyzers (WEs), devices that can produce green hydrogen without carbon emissions. According to recent International Renewable Energy Agency reports, most WEs employed in the industry are currently alkaline water electrolyzers and proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs), with ∼200 and ∼70 years of commercialization history, respectively. The former suffers from inherently limited current densities due to inevitable gas crossover, operates using corrosive (7 M) alkaline solutions, and requires large installation footprints, while the latter requires expensive and scarce precious metal-based electrocatalysts. An emerging technology, the anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE), seeks to combine the benefits of both into one device while overcoming the limitations of each. AEMWEs afford higher operating current densities and pressures, similar Faradaic efficiencies when compared to PEMWEs (>90%), rapid ramping/load-following responsiveness, and the use of non-noble metal catalysts and pure water feed. While recent reports show promising device performance, close to 3 A/cm2 for AEMWEs with 1 M KOH or pure water feed, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that govern device performance and stability is required for the technology to compete and flourish. Herein, we briefly discuss the fundamentals of AEMWEs in terms of device components, catalysts, membranes, and long-term stability/durability. We provide our perspective on where the field is going and offer our opinion on how specific performance and stability tests should be performed to facilitate the development of the field.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151336375&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c00319
DO - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c00319
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85151336375
SN - 1932-7447
VL - 127
SP - 7901
EP - 7912
JO - Journal of Physical Chemistry C
JF - Journal of Physical Chemistry C
IS - 17
ER -