Enhancing reaction interface with modified microporous layers for high-efficiency hydrogen production in PEM water electrolysis

Abstract

Improving the reaction interface is imperative for increasing catalyst utilization and enhancing overall cell performance in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Herein, a thin Nafion-carbon-mixed microporous layer coated carbon paper (Nafion-C MPL/CP) is first developed as an efficient cathode liquid/gas diffusion layer for PEMECs. With the Nafion-C MPL/CP, low cell voltages of 1.64, 1.74 and 1.84 V are delivered, which are 50, 80 and 140 mV lower than those of the conventional bare carbon paper at 2, 4 and 6 A/cm², respectively, achieving about 3-fold higher catalyst utilization. Meanwhile, superior performance is also demonstrated compared to the commercial PTFE-C MPL/CP. The remarkable performance of the Nafion-C MPL/CP should be attributed to the enhanced reaction interface, which not only provides rich active sites with abundant electron and proton transport pathways for the electrochemical reaction but also reduces the interfacial contact resistance and mass transport losses. Moreover, excellent stability of the Nafion-C MPL/CP is demonstrated at a current density of 1.8 A/cm² with no performance degradation during over 100-h operation. Due to the enhanced reaction interface with significantly improved catalyst utilization, the developed Nafion-C MPL/CP shows great potential to reduce the hydrogen production cost and accelerate PEMEC commercialization.