(Invited) Advances in Composite Membranes Design and Scale Up for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Abstract

Hydrogen is proposed as a future solution for a global, sustainable energy network, allowing optimization of energy efficiency while dramatically reducing emissions and decarbonizing the economies. Lack of scaled, cost-effective environmentally-friendly methods of hydrogen generation and infrastructure is becoming a major challenge for widespread adoption of hydrogen for transportation, energy grid, integration with chemical processes, and plants. Water electrolysis (WE) method of hydrogen generation and its integration into infrastructure is therefore rapidly gaining industrial interest all around the world.This talk will focus on the separator membrane challenges in PEM WE systems and how novel, composite membranes can help the development and scale up of high efficiency, low total-cost-of-ownership systems. Applying the fundamental knowledge generated in fuel cell research with further tailoring of material properties to the needs of WE generated membranes with the thickness in the range of 50 micron that can withstand more than 400psi differential pressure, while possessing only half of the proton resistance of an archetypical benchmark N115. These advancements enable high pressure, high current density operation of a WE system. We will also discuss how Gore leverages its fuel cell platform with robust supply chain developed over last 20 years for the scale-up of these novel WE PEM composites.