Understanding the Effect of Triazole on Crosslinked PPO–SEBS-Based Anion Exchange Membranes for Water Electrolysis

Structure-Performance Correlation Inspired Platinum-Assisted Anode with a Homogeneous Ionomer Layer for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

PEMWE is becoming one of the most promising technologies for efficient and green hydrogen production, while the anode OER process is deeply restricted by the now commercially used iridium oxide with sluggish reaction kinetics and super high cost. Deeply exploring the essential relationship between the underlying substrate materials and the performance of PEMWE cells while simultaneously excavating new practical and convenient methods to reduce costs and increase efficiency is full of challenges. Herein, two representative kinds of iridium oxide were studied, and their performance difference in PEMWE was precisely analyzed with electrochemical techniques and physical characterization and further linked to the ionomer/catalyst compound features. A novel anode with a uniform thin ionomer coating was successfully constructed, which simultaneously optimized the ionomer/catalyst aggregates as well as electrical conductivity, resulting in significantly enhanced PEMWE performance. This rigorous qualitative analysis of the structure-performance relationship as well as effective ionomer-affinitive optimization strategies are of great significance to the development of next-generation high-performance PEM water electrolyzers.

Anion-Exchange Membrane "Polikon A" Based on Polyester Fiber Fabric (Functionalized by Low-Temperature High-Frequency Plasma) with Oxidized Metal Nanoparticles

An experimental laboratory set of samples of composite heterogeneous anion-exchange membranes was obtained by us for the development of our original method of polycondensation filling. Anion-exchange membranes were prepared on plasma-treated and non-plasma-treated polyester fiber fabrics. The fabric was treated with low-temperature argon plasma at a power of 400 W for 10 min at a pressure of 5 × 10-5 mbar. On the surface and bulk of the polyester fiber, a polyfunctional anionite of mixed basicity was synthesized and formed. The anion-exchange membrane contained secondary and tertiary amino groups and quaternary ammonium groups, which were obtained from polyethylene polyamines and epichlorohydrins. At the stage of the chemical synthesis of the anion matrix, oxidized nanoparticles (~1.5 wt.%) of silicon, nickel, and iron were added to the monomerization composition. The use of ion-plasma processing of fibers in combination with the introduction of oxidized nanoparticles at the synthesis stage makes it possible to influence the speed and depth of the synthesis and curing processes; this changes the formation of the surface morphology and the internal structure of the ion-exchange polymer matrix, as well as the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance and-as a result-the different operational characteristics of anion-exchange membranes.