Measuring pH Changes Inside a Bipolar Membrane Junction

Hou, Shujin; Stovall, T. Nathan; Weber, Adam Z.; Boettcher, Shannon W.

doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.5c03710

Measuring pH Changes Inside a Bipolar Membrane Junction

Journal Article · Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 EST 2026 · ACS Energy Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c03710· OSTI ID:3020738

^[1]; Stovall, T. Nathan ^[2]; Weber, Adam Z. ^[3]; ^[1]

University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); University of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)
University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Here, the local pH environment within bipolar membrane (BPM) junctions is complex and not well understood, yet it is important to control for advancing the performance of BPM-based electrochemical systems. We report a voltammetric strategy using an ultrathin Ni mesh pH probe to spatially resolve pH changes in the BPM junction during model BPM electrolyzer operation. Under reverse bias, we observe depletion of OH^– at the anion-exchange layer (AEL) interface, with a degree diminishing with increasing distance from the AEL. These gradients correlate with current-dependent water dissociation (WD) and are modulated by the electric field and the surface charge state of the catalyst. By correlating spatial pH profiles with the surface-charging behavior of WD catalysts, we explore a mechanism of catalyst-mediated H⁺ and OH^– transfer facilitated by hydrogen-bonding networks. These findings highlight the role of local chemistry and electrostatics in BPM performance and offer new methods to probe and engineer catalytic junctions in electrochemical energy devices.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); US Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR); USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0024713

Other Award/Contract Number:: N00014-25-1-2256
DGE2146752

OSTI ID:: 3020738

Journal Information:: ACS Energy Letters, Journal Name: ACS Energy Letters Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 11; ISSN 2380-8195

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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