Water Transport and Salt Precipitation in Anion-Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Abstract

The hydrophilic nature of hydrocarbon ionomers and membranes presents a major challenge in anion-exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis, despite improved stability from reinforcements and modified polymer chemistry. Durability and performance are still highly influenced by the operation mode and water management within the membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA).Dry cathode operation in AEM water electrolysis, where only the anode is supplied with liquid electrolyte (KOH), offers increased hydrogen purity but poses challenges for non-fluorinated anion-exchange polymers that are sensitive to water content. In-situ neutron imaging with high resolution (~6 µm effective resolution) revealed that adjusting the anion-exchange capacity of the cathode binder ionomer can retain membrane humidification (Fig. 1)1.In the electrochemical reduction of CO2 using AEM, water management and salt precipitation are significant challenges. High-resolution neutron imaging of a zero-gap CO2 electrolyzer operating at 200 mA cm-² and 2.8 V showed salt precipitates penetrating the cathode gas diffusion layer, leading to blocked CO2 gas transport and a decay in Faraday efficiency. Salt accumulation was higher under the cathode channel of the flow field than the land2.Both studies demonstrate the substantial impact of water management and salt precipitation on the operation of AEM-based electrolyzers and how neutron imaging can assist in addressing these challenges. References (1) Koch, S.; Disch, J.; Kilian, S. K.; Han, Y.; Metzler, L.; Tengattini, A.; Helfen, L.; Schulz, M.; Breitwieser, M.; Vierrath, S. Water management in anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers under dry cathode operation. RSC Adv 2022, 12, 20778–20784.(2) Disch, J.; Bohn, L.; Koch, S.; Schulz, M.; Han, Y.; Tengattini, A.; Helfen, L.; Breitwieser, M.; Vierrath, S.; High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis. Nat Commun 2022, 13, 6099. Figure 1