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Bipolar membranes

Ions block up the junction

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Bipolar membranes are emerging as an enabling component in numerous energy-relevant electrochemical devices, but a greater understanding of how they operate in complex electrolytes is needed. Research now reveals that ionic species in mixed-ion electrolytes can block the heart of the membrane, the bipolar junction, hampering its performance.

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Fig. 1: Energy penalties in forward-bias bipolar membrane CO2 electrolysers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany

    Sebastian Z. Oener

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  1. Sebastian Z. Oener
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Correspondence to Sebastian Z. Oener.

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Oener, S.Z. Ions block up the junction. Nat Energy 8, 1313–1314 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-023-01410-9

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