Development and Evaluation of a PEM-Type Water Electrolysis Cell with a Hydrocarbon-Based Electrolyte Membrane Pemion ®

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🔬研究者:Provides experimental data on a novel hydrocarbon membrane for PEM electrolysis, useful for material development and system optimization.

🏢実務担当者:Offers a viable PFAS-free alternative for electrolyzer manufacturers aiming to improve sustainability and regulatory compliance.

🏛政策担当者:Supports hydrogen policy with evidence of efficient, durable electrolysis technology that can accelerate green hydrogen deployment.

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis is one of the technologies for producing green hydrogen, and its large-scale adoption is desired for achieving carbon neutrality in the future. However, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used in current electrolyte membranes have safety concerns, creating a need for the development of PFAS-free, hydrocarbon-based electrolyte membranes. Recently, Pemion ® , a hydrocarbon-based electrolyte membrane, has been reported to exhibit high proton conductivity for PEM fuel cells[1]. In this study, to investigate the applicability of Pemion ® to PEM water electrolysis cells, a catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) was fabricated and incorporated into a cell. Initial performance and durability at 3 A cm -2 were conducted. Anode (Ir-containing catalyst) and cathode (Pt/C) slurries were prepared by dispersing the respective catalysts in a solvent with an ionomer-containing solution. These slurries were coated onto the electrolyte membrane and dried to fabricate a CCM with an electrode area of 25 cm 2 . A water electrolysis cell was assembled by stacking the fabricated CCM with a Pt-plated anode separator, an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL) of Pt-plated sintered Ti fiber, a cathode GDL of carbon paper, and a carbon cathode separator. The current density-voltage ( J - V ) characteristics and continuous durability of the cell were evaluated at a water feed rate of 100 cc min -1 and a test temperature of 60°C or 80°C. After a conditioning step, J - V characteristics were measured by applying constant current densities for 5 minutes each using a DC power supply (Kikusui Electronics, PWR1201L). During the measurement, the AC resistance at 1 kHz was measured with a low-resistance meter (Tsuruga Electric, Model 3566), and the product of the AC resistance and current was considered to be the ohmic overpotential. The durability test was conducted at a current density of 3 A cm -2 , with J - V evaluations performed every 25 hours. The degradation rate was defined as the increase in cell voltage at 3 A cm -2 from its initial value, and its change over time was evaluated. The figure shows the J - V characteristics of the water electrolysis cell equipped with the fabricated Pemion ® CCM. At 60°C, the cell voltage at 3.0 A cm -2 was 1.89 V. At 80°C, the cell voltage was 1.72 V, demonstrating a high electrolysis efficiency of 86%. The ohmic overpotential at 3.0 A cm - 2 was 260 mV and 195 mV at 60°C and 80°C, respectively, confirming a decrease of 65 mV. This suggests that even at 80°C, the mobility of the polymer chain of Pemion ® was enhanced while maintaining the hydrophilic channel structure, leading to a significant improvement in the proton conductivity of the membrane. Furthermore, in a continuous durability test at 60°C and 3.0 A cm -2 , the degradation rate after 1500 hours was 1.5%, confirming stable operation without significant degradation. These results indicate that Pemion ® can achieve both high water electrolysis efficiency and durability for water electrolysis applications. Reference. [1] H. Nguyen et al., Sustainable Energy & Fuels 5, 3687-3699 (2021). Figure 1

• semanticscholar https://doi.org/10.1149/ma2026-01361626mtgabsfirst seen 2026-07-20 05:16:42