Ion-Exchange Membrane-Centric Durability Testing and Degradation Characterization for Industry-Relevant CO₂ Reduction

Journal Article · Thu Oct 16 00:00:00 UTC 2025 · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5c02103 · OSTI ID:3017562

Sewell, Christopher D. ^[1]; Henckel, Danielle A. ^[1]; Resch, Michael G.  ^[1]

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1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction is a promising conversion process for producing value-added fuels and chemicals from electricity and CO₂ as a sustainable carbon feedstock to domestically produce fuels and chemicals from industrial waste. Having reached industrially viable performance metrics with small-scale CO₂ electrolysis cells, the field must now increasingly focus on extending the device durability of large stacks to achieve equivalent metrics for 35,000+ hours to decrease maintenance and capital costs. Reported device lifetimes have increased in recent years, with the longest stability studies for CO, ethylene, and formic acid production being published in 2024–2025 with operation times of 4500, 1000, and 5200 h, respectively. Unfortunately, significant extension of the device durability is still required. Here, we provide an overview of ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) and provide insight into the variety of degradation mechanisms that must be overcome to enable the community to meet durability targets. In an effort to accelerate the extension of device lifetimes, we propose a general approach for characterizing CO₂ electrolysis cell degradation before and after durability testing to better elucidate the mechanisms and failure modes of IEMs in zero-gap cells. Furthermore, we encourage the adoption of operando characterizations in tandem with accelerated stress and durability tests, postulating that their combined applications will be increasingly valuable. We hope that this perspective motivates future durability studies to evaluate degradation across the entire electrolysis cell.

• Research Organization: National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 3017562
• Report Number(s): NLR/JA--5100-94695
• Journal Information: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Journal Name: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research Journal Issue: 43 Vol. 64; ISSN 1520-5045; ISSN 0888-5885
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English