Abstract
As an important energy carrier in terms of carbon neutrality, green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis using renewable electricity has attracted worldwide attention. The polymer electrolyte water electrolyzer (PEWE) has the potential to be a mainstay in the green hydrogen market in the future because of its superior performance. However, the development of PEWE is constrained by the slow progress of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is an essential component of PEWE and largely determines the cost and performance of the system. Therefore, the MEA must be optimized from the aspects of reducing cost and improving performance to promote the development of PEWEs. In this review, we first discuss the recent progress of the materials and design strategies of MEA, including the cost, activity, and stability of catalysts, distribution and thickness of ionomers, and ion transport efficiency of ion exchange membranes (IEMs). Then, the effects of all components and interlayer interfaces on the ions, electrons, and mass transfer in MEA and, consequently, the performance of PEWE are analyzed. Finally, we propose perspectives on developing MEA by optimizing the catalyst activity and stability of IEM, interface contact between adjacent components, and evaluation methods of performance.
摘要
作为碳中和的重要能源载体, 利用可再生能源电解水制取的“绿 色氢能”受到了全世界的关注. 聚合物电解质水电解槽因其优越的性能, 有望成为未来绿色制氢市场的主流. 当前, 聚合物电解质水电解槽的发 展受到膜电极发展缓慢的制约. 膜电极是聚合物电解质水电解槽的重 要组成部分, 在很大程度上决定了水电解槽系统的成本和性能. 因此, 必须从降低成本和提高性能方面对膜电极组件进行优化, 以促进其发 展. 在这篇综述中, 我们首先讨论了膜电极材料的最新进展及现有的设 计策略, 包括催化剂的成本、活性和稳定性、离聚物的分布和厚度以 及离子交换膜的离子传输效率. 然后分析了所有组分和层间界面对膜 电极中离子、电子和物质传输的影响, 以及对电解槽性能的影响. 最 后, 本论文就催化剂活性、离子交换膜稳定性、相邻组分之间的界面 以及性能评估方法等方面提出了相关建议和展望.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52188101), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (52125309), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021A1515110829), Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program (2017ZT07C341), and Shenzhen Basic Research Project (JCYJ20200109144620815).
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Liu H, Yu Q, and Liu B conceived the original idea. The manuscript was drafted by Liu H, Yu Q and Liu B. Other authors include Kang X, Zhao T, Zhang Z, Ge S, Hu S, Luo Y, Yang F, Li S, Sun C and Cheng H discussed and commented on the manuscript.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Heming Liu is a PhD student at Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University. His current research mainly focuses on water electrolysis at high current density and electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction.
Qiangmin Yu is a research scientist of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, China. He received his PhD degree in inorganic chemistry from Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences (FJIRSM, CAS) in 2017. He worked at Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University as a postdoctoral researcher in collaboration with Profs. Hui-Ming Cheng and Bilu Liu from 2017 to 2019. His research interests focus on the controllable preparation of low-dimensional materials and their applications in the production of sustainable fuels and industrial chemicals by electrolysis.
Bilu Liu is an associate professor and PI at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, China. He received his bachelor’s degree in materials chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2006, and PhD degree in materials science from the Institute of Metal Research (IMR), CAS in 2012. His research interests cover the chemistry and materials science of low-dimensional materials with emphasis on carbon nanostructures, two-dimensional materials, and heterostructures. His work relates to the controlled mass preparation of these materials and their applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis.
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Liu, H., Kang, X., Zhao, T. et al. Engineering membrane electrode assembly for advanced polymer electrolyte water electrolyzer. Sci. China Mater. 65, 3243–3272 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2128-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2128-4