Performance Losses and Current-Driven Recovery from Cation Contaminants in PEM Water Electrolysis

Padgett, Elliot; Adesso, Anthony; Yu, Haoran; Wrubel, Jacob; Bender, Guido; Pivovar, Bryan; Alia, Shaun M.

doi:10.1149/1945-7111/ad576b

Title: Performance Losses and Current-Driven Recovery from Cation Contaminants in PEM Water Electrolysis

Journal Article · 26 June 2024 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ad576b · OSTI ID:2377777

; Adesso, Anthony;

;

Water contaminants are a common cause of failure for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers in the field as well as a confounding factor in research on cell performance and durability. In this study, we investigated the performance impacts of feed water containing representative tap water cations at concentrations ranging from 0.5–500 μ M, with conductivities spanning from ASTM Type II to tap-water levels. We present multiple diagnostic signatures to help identify the presence of contaminants in PEM electrolysis cells. Through analysis of polarization curves and impedance spectroscopy to understand the origins of performance losses, we found that a switch from the acidic to alkaline hydrogen evolution mechanism is a key factor in contaminated cell behavior. Finally, we demonstrated that this mechanism switching can be harnessed to remove cation contaminants and recover cell performance without the use of an acid wash. We demonstrated near-complete recovery of cells contaminated with sodium and calcium, and partial recovery of a cell contaminated with iron, which was further investigated by post-mortem microscopy. The improved understanding of contaminant impacts from this work can inform development of strategies to mitigate or recover performance losses as well as improve the consistency and rigor of electrolysis research.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: NONE; AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 2377777

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2372722; OSTI ID: 2404293; OSTI ID: 2438827

Journal Information:: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 171; ISSN 0013-4651

Publisher:: The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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