Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7722140 | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy | 2013 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
High performance membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with low noble metal loadings (NMLs) were developed for solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolysis. The electrochemical and physical characterization of the MEAs was performed by I-V curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Even though the total NML was lowered to 0.38 mg cmâ2, it still reached a high performance of 1.633 V at 2 A cmâ2 and 80 °C, with IrO2 as anode catalyst. The influences of the ionomer content in the anode catalyst layer (CL) and the cell temperature were investigated with the purpose of optimizing the performance. SEM and EIS measurements revealed that the MEA with low NML has very thin porous cathode and anode CLs that get intimate contact with the electrolyte membrane, which makes a reduced mass transport limitation and lower ohmic resistance of the MEA. A short-term water electrolysis operation at 1 A cmâ2 showed that the MEA has good stability: the cell voltage maintained at â¼1.60 V without distinct degradation after 122 h operation at 80 °C and atmospheric pressure.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Authors
Huaneng Su, Vladimir Linkov, Bernard Jan Bladergroen,