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A high-performance capillary-fed electrolysis cell promises more cost-competitive renewable hydrogen

Author

Listed:
  • Aaron Hodges

    (University of Wollongong)

  • Anh Linh Hoang

    (University of Wollongong)

  • George Tsekouras

    (University of Wollongong)

  • Klaudia Wagner

    (University of Wollongong
    Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Research, University of Wollongong)

  • Chong-Yong Lee

    (University of Wollongong
    Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Research, University of Wollongong)

  • Gerhard F. Swiegers

    (University of Wollongong
    Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Research, University of Wollongong)

  • Gordon G. Wallace

    (University of Wollongong
    Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Research, University of Wollongong)

Abstract

Renewable, or green, hydrogen will play a critical role in the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors and will therefore be important in limiting global warming. However, renewable hydrogen is not cost-competitive with fossil fuels, due to the moderate energy efficiency and high capital costs of traditional water electrolysers. Here a unique concept of water electrolysis is introduced, wherein water is supplied to hydrogen- and oxygen-evolving electrodes via capillary-induced transport along a porous inter-electrode separator, leading to inherently bubble-free operation at the electrodes. An alkaline capillary-fed electrolysis cell of this type demonstrates water electrolysis performance exceeding commercial electrolysis cells, with a cell voltage at 0.5 A cm−2 and 85 °C of only 1.51 V, equating to 98% energy efficiency, with an energy consumption of 40.4 kWh/kg hydrogen (vs. ~47.5 kWh/kg in commercial electrolysis cells). High energy efficiency, combined with the promise of a simplified balance-of-plant, brings cost-competitive renewable hydrogen closer to reality.

Suggested Citation

  • Aaron Hodges & Anh Linh Hoang & George Tsekouras & Klaudia Wagner & Chong-Yong Lee & Gerhard F. Swiegers & Gordon G. Wallace, 2022. "A high-performance capillary-fed electrolysis cell promises more cost-competitive renewable hydrogen," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-28953-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28953-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Yong Zuo & Sebastiano Bellani & Michele Ferri & Gabriele Saleh & Dipak V. Shinde & Marilena Isabella Zappia & Rosaria Brescia & Mirko Prato & Luca Trizio & Ivan Infante & Francesco Bonaccorso & Libera, 2023. "High-performance alkaline water electrolyzers based on Ru-perturbed Cu nanoplatelets cathode," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Ajanovic, Amela & Sayer, Marlene & Haas, Reinhard, 2024. "On the future relevance of green hydrogen in Europe," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 358(C).
    3. Tianyu Zhang & Jing Jin & Junmei Chen & Yingyan Fang & Xu Han & Jiayi Chen & Yaping Li & Yu Wang & Junfeng Liu & Lei Wang, 2022. "Pinpointing the axial ligand effect on platinum single-atom-catalyst towards efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. Lei Wan & Maobin Pang & Junfa Le & Ziang Xu & Hangyu Zhou & Qin Xu & Baoguo Wang, 2022. "Oriented intergrowth of the catalyst layer in membrane electrode assembly for alkaline water electrolysis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Jiayi Chen & Mohammed Aliasgar & Fernando Buendia Zamudio & Tianyu Zhang & Yilin Zhao & Xu Lian & Lan Wen & Haozhou Yang & Wenping Sun & Sergey M. Kozlov & Wei Chen & Lei Wang, 2023. "Diversity of platinum-sites at platinum/fullerene interface accelerates alkaline hydrogen evolution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Neumann, Jannik & Fradet, Quentin & Scholtissek, Arne & Dammel, Frank & Riedel, Uwe & Dreizler, Andreas & Hasse, Christian & Stephan, Peter, 2024. "Thermodynamic assessment of an iron-based circular energy economy for carbon-free power supply," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 368(C).

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