Cross-plane iridium-based filaments sap efficiency in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers
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Proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells (PEMEC) are a key technology for producing “green hydrogen” – a sustainable energy carrier and platform for synthesizing manifold chemicals. To bolster performance and durability of PEMEC and accelerate market ramp-up of a green hydrogen economy, this study aims to elucidate operation-induced changes in an PEMEC cell operated under realistic conditions for over 5,000 hours. This investigation has uncovered a new systematic aging phenomenon of current pathways caused by cross-plane formation of iridium filaments within the membrane, showing a correlation between filament formation and the anode - porous transport layer (PTL) interface. Experiments and computational modeling substantiate that these currents reduce system performance and impair hydrogen generation efficiency.
