Understanding Performance and Durability Issues in Pure-Water Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolysis

Research question

Anion-exchange-membrane (AEM) water electrolyzers are a relatively recent electrolyzer technology for clean hydrogen production. Use of AEMs allows for less expensive catalysts, such as NiFe, compared to the more mature proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers, which generally require precious-group-metal catalysts. However, AEM water electrolyzers only demonstrate acceptable performance when fed electrolyte solution instead of pure water, which is undesirable for a number of reasons. This project will explore the fundamental reasons behind the performance gain from an electrolyte feed and how this requirement can be mitigated.

Sustainability aspects

Clean, inexpensive hydrogen production is one of the major hurdles to the implementation of a hydrogen economy. Currently, most commercial hydrogen is produced as a byproduct of the oil industry and steam-methane reformation, which negates much of the environmental impact of using hydrogen as a clean energy source. Development of efficient and inexpensive water electrolyzers, which could be powered from clean energy sources such as solar and wind, would allow for hydrogen to be used as both a green energy storage technology and a clean energy source for fuel cells in cars and trucks.