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Basics of Water Electrolysis

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Handbook of Energy Materials

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Abstract

Water electrolysis is one of the most promising methods for producing high-purity and environmentally friendly hydrogen from renewable energy sources since it generates only oxygen as a byproduct with zero carbon emission. Water reduction at the cathode to generate hydrogen (H2) and water oxidation at the anode to produce oxygen (O2) in water electrolysis are both kinetically slow, resulting in low energy efficiencies. Additionally, the O2 and H2 generated by applying overpotential to dissociate water molecule are immediately put to use in fuel cells and other industrial applications. However, due to cost constraints, overall water dissociation possesses nearly 4% of global industrial hydrogen based on electrolysis of water. In recent years, though the growing demand to produce green hydrogen has boosted interest in economical alkaline water electrolysis process, however exceptional progress has been observed for PEM water electrolysis for higher efficiency and fast reaction kinetic. This chapter covers the historical background of water electrolysis, principle, thermodynamics, various water electrolysis systems, their comparative performance, kinetic mechanism, challenges, and future prospects.

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Abbreviations

AWE:

Alkaline water electrolysis

CAPEX:

Capital expenditures

DC:

Direct current

HER:

Hydrogen evolution reaction

HHV:

Higher heating value

LHV:

Lower heating value

MEA:

Membrane electrode assembly

OER:

Oxygen evolution reaction

OPEX:

Operating expenses

PEM:

Polymer electrolyte membrane

PEMWE:

Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis

PFSA:

Perfluorosulfonic acid

PTL:

Porous transport layer

SOWE:

Solid-oxide water electrolysis

WE:

Working electrode

Δg:

Change in Gibbs free energy

ΔGf:

Gibbs free energy formation

ΔHf:

Enthalpy of formation

ΔSf:

Entropy change of the reaction

ɳ:

Overpotential

E:

Actual cell potential

Ea:

Activation energy

F:

Faraday’s constant

G:

Gibbs free energy

i:

Current

I cell :

Cell current

I stack :

Stack current

m :

Mass

M:

Molar mass

n:

Number of electron transfer

nc:

Number of cell

q :

Quantity of electricity

q:

Specific heat

Rcell:

Total electrical resistance of the cell

Sgen:

Entropy generation

T:

Temperature

Vcell:

Applied cell voltage

V cell :

Cell voltage

Veq:

Theoretical minimum potential

V stack :

Stack voltage

Vtn:

Thermoneutral voltage

w:

Specific work

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) core research grant (CRG/2021/003355) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) research grant India – Taiwan Programme of Cooperation in S&T (GITA/DST/TWN/P-103/2022), New Delhi, India. S.S. thanks the Department of Science and Technology (DST/INSPIRE/04/2018/003308), New Delhi, India, for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai, India

    Indrajit Shown & Ranjith Ravi

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, India

    Satyanarayana Samireddi

Authors
  1. Indrajit Shown
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  2. Satyanarayana Samireddi
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  3. Ranjith Ravi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Indrajit Shown .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, USA

    Ram Gupta

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

    Neerish Revaprasadu

  2. National Institute for Materials Advancement, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, USA

    Ram K. Gupta

  3. Department of Chemistry, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, USA

    Ram K. Gupta

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Shown, I., Samireddi, S., Ravi, R. (2023). Basics of Water Electrolysis. In: Gupta, R. (eds) Handbook of Energy Materials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4480-1_36-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4480-1_36-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-4480-1

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