KOH vs Deionized Water Operation in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Hassan, Noor Ul; Zheng, Yiwei; Kohl, Paul A.; Mustain, William E.

doi:10.1149/1945-7111/ac5f1d

KOH vs Deionized Water Operation in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Journal Article · Wed Apr 27 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac5f1d· OSTI ID:2568271

Hassan, Noor Ul ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[2]; ^[1]

University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States)
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMELs) have recently received significant attention due to their potential advantages over proton exchange membrane electrolyzers (PEMELs). However, some AEMELs feed an aqueous salt solution to the cell where PEMELs typically feed deionized (DI) water. DI water is preferred to keep the system and maintenance costs low. Because of this, many AEMEL researchers report performance both in the salt solution (typically KOH) and DI water. However, the methodology for switching between KOH and DI water is often poorly defined, and it is unclear what impact the residual salt has on cell performance after switching from salt to DI water. Having a fully deionized environment is important because the presence of salts in the water feed increase the effective electrochemical surface area of the catalyst in the three-dimensional electrode and residual salt remaining after switching to DI water feed can have a misleading transient effect on cell performance. This paper focuses on understanding the transition from KOH to DI water testing in AEMELs. It is shown that when switching from salt to DI water feed, a large volume of DI water must be fed over several hours to achieve true DI-water performance. It is also shown that starting AEMELs from the beginning with DI water feed (without any KOH ever being fed to the cell) results in better cell durability. Lastly, a cell is demonstrated having operated exclusively on DI water at 1.0 A cm⁻² for 500 h at an operating voltage of ca. 2 V and a low degradation rate.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0008833

OSTI ID:: 2568271

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1980874

Journal Information:: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 169; ISSN 1945-7111; ISSN 0013-4651

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (40)

A Roadmap to Low‐Cost Hydrogen with Hydroxide Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers Abbasi, Reza; Setzler, Brian P.; Lin, Saisai Advanced Materials, Vol. 31, Issue 31 https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201805876	journal	December 2018
Hierarchically Structured Porous Transport Layers for Polymer Electrolyte Water Electrolysis Schuler, Tobias; Ciccone, Joseph M.; Krentscher, Bernd Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 10, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201903216	journal	November 2019
Achieving High‐Performance and 2000 h Stability in Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells by Manipulating Ionomer Properties and Electrode Optimization Ul Hassan, Noor; Mandal, Mrinmay; Huang, Garrett Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 10, Issue 40 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202001986	journal	September 2020
Industrial water electrolysis: Present and future Leroy, R. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 8, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-3199(83)90162-3	journal	January 1983
Unravelling the roles of alkali-metal cations for the enhanced oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media del Rosario, Julie Anne D.; Li, Guangfu; Labata, Marc Francis M. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Vol. 288 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2021.119981	journal	July 2021
Understanding and improving anode performance in an alkaline membrane electrolyzer using statistical design of experiments Hassan, Noor Ul; Mandal, Mrinmay; Zulevi, Barr Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 409 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2022.140001	journal	March 2022
Envisioning a low-cost solar future: Exploring the potential impact of Achieving the SunShot 2030 targets for photovoltaics Cole, Wesley; Frew, Bethany; Gagnon, Pieter Energy, Vol. 155 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.04.166	journal	July 2018
Development of efficient membrane electrode assembly for low cost hydrogen production by anion exchange membrane electrolysis Vincent, Immanuel; Kruger, Andries; Bessarabov, Dmitri International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.03.069	journal	April 2017
Future cost and performance of water electrolysis: An expert elicitation study Schmidt, O.; Gambhir, A.; Staffell, I. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 52 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.10.045	journal	December 2017
A study on electrode fabrication and operation variables affecting the performance of anion exchange membrane water electrolysis Lim, Ahyoun; Kim, Hyoung-juhn; Henkensmeier, Dirk Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 76 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2019.04.007	journal	August 2019
The spectrum of power from wind turbines Apt, Jay Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 169, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2007.02.077	journal	June 2007
A review of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis on degradation mechanisms and mitigation strategies Feng, Qi; Yuan, Xiao−Zi; Liu, Gaoyang Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 366 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.09.006	journal	October 2017
Anionic multiblock copolymer membrane based on vinyl addition polymerization of norbornenes: Applications in anion-exchange membrane fuel cells Mandal, Mrinmay; Huang, Garrett; Kohl, Paul A. Journal of Membrane Science, Vol. 570-571 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2018.10.041	journal	January 2019
The promise of hydrogen production from alkaline anion exchange membrane electrolyzers Li, Changqing; Baek, Jong-Beom Nano Energy, Vol. 87 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106162	journal	September 2021
Recent progress in alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production and applications Zeng, Kai; Zhang, Dongke Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Vol. 36, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2009.11.002	journal	June 2010
Seasonal optimal mix of wind and solar power in a future, highly renewable Europe Heide, Dominik; von Bremen, Lueder; Greiner, Martin Renewable Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2010.03.012	journal	November 2010
Renewable Power-to-Gas: A technological and economic review Götz, Manuel; Lefebvre, Jonathan; Mörs, Friedemann Renewable Energy, Vol. 85 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2015.07.066	journal	January 2016
Pure Water Solid Alkaline Water Electrolyzer Using Fully Aromatic and High-Molecular-Weight Poly(fluorene- alt -tetrafluorophenylene)-trimethyl Ammonium Anion Exchange Membranes and Ionomers Soni, Roby; Miyanishi, Shoji; Kuroki, Hidenori ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol. 4, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.0c01938	journal	December 2020
Performance and Durability of Pure-Water-Fed Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers Using Baseline Materials and Operation Lindquist, Grace A.; Oener, Sebastian Z.; Krivina, Raina ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 13, Issue 44 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c06053	journal	August 2021
Water-Fed Hydroxide Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer Enabled by a Fluoride-Incorporated Nickel–Iron Oxyhydroxide Oxygen Evolution Electrode Xiao, Junwu; Oliveira, Alexandra M.; Wang, Lan ACS Catalysis, Vol. 11, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.0c04200	journal	December 2020
Understanding Cation Trends for Hydrogen Evolution on Platinum and Gold Electrodes in Alkaline Media Monteiro, Mariana C. O.; Goyal, Akansha; Moerland, Pricilla ACS Catalysis, Vol. 11, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.1c04268	journal	November 2021
Integrated Reference Electrodes in Anion-Exchange-Membrane Electrolyzers: Impact of Stainless-Steel Gas-Diffusion Layers and Internal Mechanical Pressure Xu, Qiucheng; Oener, Sebastian Z.; Lindquist, Grace ACS Energy Letters, Vol. 6, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.0c02338	journal	December 2020
Solid-State Water Electrolysis with an Alkaline Membrane Leng, Yongjun; Chen, Guang; Mendoza, Alfonso J. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 134, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1021/ja302439z	journal	May 2012
The underestimated potential of solar energy to mitigate climate change Creutzig, Felix; Agoston, Peter; Goldschmidt, Jan Christoph Nature Energy, Vol. 2, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.140	journal	August 2017
Highly quaternized polystyrene ionomers for high performance anion exchange membrane water electrolysers Li, Dongguo; Park, Eun Joo; Zhu, Wenlei Nature Energy, Vol. 5, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0577-x	journal	March 2020
Comprehensive impedance investigation of low-cost anion exchange membrane electrolysis for large-scale hydrogen production Vincent, Immanuel; Lee, Eun-Chong; Kim, Hyung-Man Scientific Reports, Vol. 11, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80683-6	journal	January 2021
Comprehensive investigation of novel pore-graded gas diffusion layers for high-performance and cost-effective proton exchange membrane electrolyzers Lettenmeier, P.; Kolb, S.; Sata, N. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 10, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1039/C7EE01240C	journal	January 2017
Analysis of the effect of catalyst layer thickness on the performance and durability of platinum group metal-free catalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells Baricci, Andrea; Bisello, Andrea; Serov, Alexey Sustainable Energy & Fuels, Vol. 3, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1039/C9SE00252A	journal	January 2019
Durability of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers Li, Dongguo; Motz, Andrew R.; Bae, Chulsung Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 14, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EE04086J	journal	January 2021
Poly(norbornene) anion conductive membranes: homopolymer, block copolymer and random copolymer properties and performance Mandal, Mrinmay; Huang, Garrett; Hassan, Noor Ul Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 8, Issue 34 https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA04756B	journal	January 2020
First implementation of alkaline polymer electrolyte water electrolysis working only with pure water Xiao, Li; Zhang, Shuai; Pan, Jing Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 5, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ee22146b	journal	January 2012
Characterization of Anion Exchange Membrane Technology for Low Cost Electrolysis Ayers, K. E.; Anderson, E. B.; Capuano, C. B. ECS Transactions, Vol. 45, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.1149/04523.0121ecst	journal	April 2013
Research Advances towards Low Cost, High Efficiency PEM Electrolysis Ayers, Katherine E.; Anderson, Everett B.; Capuano, Christopher 218th ECS Meeting, ECS Transactions https://doi.org/10.1149/1.3484496	conference	January 2010
Recent Advances in Cell Cost and Efficiency for PEM-Based Water Electrolysis Ayers, Katherine E.; Capuano, Christopher; Anderson, Everett B. 220th ECS Meeting, ECS Transactions https://doi.org/10.1149/1.3684798	conference	January 2012
Ionomer Optimization for Water Uptake and Swelling in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer: Oxygen Evolution Electrode Huang, Garrett; Mandal, Mrinmay; Hassan, Noor Ul Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 167, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abcde3	journal	December 2020
Ionomer Optimization for Water Uptake and Swelling in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer: Hydrogen Evolution Electrode Huang, Garrett; Mandal, Mrinmay; Hassan, Noor Ul Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 168, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abde7b	journal	February 2021
Elucidating the Role of Hydroxide Electrolyte on Anion-Exchange-Membrane Water Electrolyzer Performance Liu, Jiangjin; Kang, Zhenye; Li, Dongguo Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 168, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac0019	journal	May 2021
The Importance of Water Transport in High Conductivity and High-Power Alkaline Fuel Cells Mandal, Mrinmay; Huang, Garrett; Hassan, Noor Ul Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 167, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0022005JES	journal	October 2019
Hydrogen at Scale (H ₂ @Scale): Key to a Clean, Economic, and Sustainable Energy System Pivovar, Bryan; Rustagi, Neha; Satyapal, Sunita The Electrochemical Society Interface, Vol. 27, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.F04181if	journal	January 2018
A Review of Industrially Developed Components and Operation Conditions for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis Lim, Ahyoun; Cho, Min Kyung; Lee, So Young Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology, Vol. 8, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.33961/JECST.2017.8.4.265	journal	December 2017

Similar Records

Understanding and improving anode performance in an alkaline membrane electrolyzer using statistical design of experiments

Journal Article · Fri Feb 04 19:00:00 EST 2022 · Electrochimica Acta · OSTI ID:2568272

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
25 ENERGY STORAGE
Electrochemistry
Electrolysis
Materials Science

KOH vs Deionized Water Operation in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Citation Formats

References (40)

Similar Records

Related Subjects