Water management in anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers under dry cathode operation

Abstract

Dry cathode operation is a desired operation mode in anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers to minimize contamination of the generated hydrogen. However, water management under such operation conditions makes it challenging to maintain reliable performance and durability. Here, we utilize high-resolution in situ neutron imaging (∼6 μm effective resolution) to analyze the water content inside the membrane-electrode-assembly of an anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer. The ion-exchange capacity (IEC) and thus hydrophilicity of the polymer binder in the cathode catalyst layer is varied to study the influence on water content in the anode (mid IEC, 1.8–2.2 meq. g⁻¹ and high IEC, 2.3–2.6 meq. g⁻¹). The neutron radiographies show that a higher ion-exchange capacity binder allows improved water retention, which reduces the drying-out of the cathode at high current densities. Electrochemical measurements confirm a generally better efficiency for a high IEC cell above 600 mA cm⁻². At 1.5 A cm⁻² the high IEC has a 100 mV lower overpotential (2.1 V vs. 2.2 V) and a lower high frequency resistance (210 mΩ cm⁻² vs. 255 mΩ cm⁻²), which is believed to be linked to the improved cathode water retention and membrane humidification. As a consequence, the performance stability of the high IEC cell at 1 A cm⁻² is also significantly better than that of the mid IEC cell (45 mV h⁻¹ vs. 75 mV h⁻¹).