IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-52409-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Local ionic transport enables selective PGM-free bipolar membrane electrode assembly

Author

Listed:
  • Mengran Li

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg
    The University of Melbourne)

  • Eric W. Lees

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    2360 East Mall)

  • Wen Ju

    (Technical University Berlin
    Leibniz Institute for Catalysis)

  • Siddhartha Subramanian

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg)

  • Kailun Yang

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg)

  • Justin C. Bui

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    University of California Berkeley)

  • Hugo-Pieter Iglesias van Montfort

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg)

  • Maryam Abdinejad

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Joost Middelkoop

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg)

  • Peter Strasser

    (Technical University Berlin)

  • Adam Z. Weber

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Alexis T. Bell

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    University of California Berkeley)

  • Thomas Burdyny

    (Delft University of Technology; 9 van der Maasweg)

Abstract

Bipolar membranes in electrochemical CO2 conversion cells enable different reaction environments in the CO2-reduction and O2-evolution compartments. Under ideal conditions, water-splitting in the bipolar membrane allows for platinum-group-metal-free anode materials and high CO2 utilizations. In practice, however, even minor unwanted ion crossover limits stability to short time periods. Here we report the vital role of managing ionic species to improve CO2 conversion efficiency while preventing acidification of the anodic compartment. Through transport modelling, we identify that an anion-exchange ionomer in the catalyst layer improves local bicarbonate availability and increasing the proton transference number in the bipolar membranes increases CO2 regeneration and limits K+ concentration in the cathode region. Through experiments, we show that a uniform local distribution of bicarbonate ions increases the accessibility of reverted CO2 to the catalyst surface, improving Faradaic efficiency and limiting current densities by twofold. Using these insights, we demonstrate a fully platinum-group-metal-free bipolar membrane electrode assembly CO2 conversion system exhibiting

Suggested Citation

  • Mengran Li & Eric W. Lees & Wen Ju & Siddhartha Subramanian & Kailun Yang & Justin C. Bui & Hugo-Pieter Iglesias van Montfort & Maryam Abdinejad & Joost Middelkoop & Peter Strasser & Adam Z. Weber & A, 2024. "Local ionic transport enables selective PGM-free bipolar membrane electrode assembly," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52409-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52409-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52409-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-52409-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ke Xie & Rui Kai Miao & Adnan Ozden & Shijie Liu & Zhu Chen & Cao-Thang Dinh & Jianan Erick Huang & Qiucheng Xu & Christine M. Gabardo & Geonhui Lee & Jonathan P. Edwards & Colin P. O’Brien & Shannon , 2022. "Bipolar membrane electrolyzers enable high single-pass CO2 electroreduction to multicarbon products," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Joshua A. Rabinowitz & Matthew W. Kanan, 2020. "The future of low-temperature carbon dioxide electrolysis depends on solving one basic problem," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-3, December.
    3. Wen Ju & Alexander Bagger & Guang-Ping Hao & Ana Sofia Varela & Ilya Sinev & Volodymyr Bon & Beatriz Roldan Cuenya & Stefan Kaskel & Jan Rossmeisl & Peter Strasser, 2017. "Understanding activity and selectivity of metal-nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Guobin Wen & Bohua Ren & Xin Wang & Dan Luo & Haozhen Dou & Yun Zheng & Rui Gao & Jeff Gostick & Aiping Yu & Zhongwei Chen, 2022. "Continuous CO2 electrolysis using a CO2 exsolution-induced flow cell," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(10), pages 978-988, October.
    5. Danielle A. Salvatore & Christine M. Gabardo & Angelica Reyes & Colin P. O’Brien & Steven Holdcroft & Peter Pintauro & Bamdad Bahar & Michael Hickner & Chulsung Bae & David Sinton & Edward H. Sargent , 2021. "Designing anion exchange membranes for CO2 electrolysers," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 6(4), pages 339-348, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cornelius A. Obasanjo & Guorui Gao & Jackson Crane & Viktoria Golovanova & F. Pelayo García de Arquer & Cao-Thang Dinh, 2023. "High-rate and selective conversion of CO2 from aqueous solutions to hydrocarbons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Xiaojie She & Lingling Zhai & Yifei Wang & Pei Xiong & Molly Meng-Jung Li & Tai-Sing Wu & Man Chung Wong & Xuyun Guo & Zhihang Xu & Huaming Li & Hui Xu & Ye Zhu & Shik Chi Edman Tsang & Shu Ping Lau, 2024. "Pure-water-fed, electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to ethylene beyond 1,000 h stability at 10 A," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 81-91, January.
    3. Huiying Deng & Tingting Liu & Wenshan Zhao & Jundong Wang & Yuesheng Zhang & Shuzhen Zhang & Yu Yang & Chao Yang & Wenzhi Teng & Zhuo Chen & Gengfeng Zheng & Fengwang Li & Yaqiong Su & Jingshu Hui & Y, 2024. "Substituent tuning of Cu coordination polymers enables carbon-efficient CO2 electroreduction to multi-carbon products," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Yurou Celine Xiao & Siyu Sonia Sun & Yong Zhao & Rui Kai Miao & Mengyang Fan & Geonhui Lee & Yuanjun Chen & Christine M. Gabardo & Yan Yu & Chenyue Qiu & Zunmin Guo & Xinyue Wang & Panagiotis Papangel, 2024. "Reactive capture of CO2 via amino acid," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Shashwati C. Cunha & Joaquin Resasco, 2023. "Maximizing single-pass conversion does not result in practical readiness for CO2 reduction electrolyzers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-6, December.
    6. Shoujie Li & Xiao Dong & Gangfeng Wu & Yanfang Song & Jianing Mao & Aohui Chen & Chang Zhu & Guihua Li & Yiheng Wei & Xiaohu Liu & Jiangjiang Wang & Wei Chen & Wei Wei, 2024. "Ampere-level CO2 electroreduction with single-pass conversion exceeding 85% in acid over silver penetration electrodes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Jie Yin & Jing Jin & Zhouyang Yin & Liu Zhu & Xin Du & Yong Peng & Pinxian Xi & Chun-Hua Yan & Shouheng Sun, 2023. "The built-in electric field across FeN/Fe3N interface for efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Charles E. Creissen & Marc Fontecave, 2022. "Keeping sight of copper in single-atom catalysts for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-4, December.
    9. Xiangyu Meng & Chuntong Zhu & Xin Wang & Zehua Liu & Mengmeng Zhu & Kuibo Yin & Ran Long & Liuning Gu & Xinxing Shao & Litao Sun & Yueming Sun & Yunqian Dai & Yujie Xiong, 2023. "Hierarchical triphase diffusion photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical gas/liquid flow conversion," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    10. Chase L. Radford & Torben Saatkamp & Andrew J. Bennet & Steven Holdcroft, 2024. "An organic proton cage that is ultra-resistant to hydroxide-promoted degradation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    11. Mengran Li & Erdem Irtem & Hugo-Pieter Iglesias van Montfort & Maryam Abdinejad & Thomas Burdyny, 2022. "Energy comparison of sequential and integrated CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Fiammetta Rita Bianchi & Barbara Bosio, 2021. "Operating Principles, Performance and Technology Readiness Level of Reversible Solid Oxide Cells," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, April.
    13. Agnes E. Thorarinsdottir & Samuel S. Veroneau & Daniel G. Nocera, 2022. "Self-healing oxygen evolution catalysts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    14. Ji Wei Sun & Xuefeng Wu & Peng Fei Liu & Jiacheng Chen & Yuanwei Liu & Zhen Xin Lou & Jia Yue Zhao & Hai Yang Yuan & Aiping Chen & Xue Lu Wang & Minghui Zhu & Sheng Dai & Hua Gui Yang, 2023. "Scalable synthesis of coordinatively unsaturated metal-nitrogen sites for large-scale CO2 electrolysis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    15. Tian, Di & Qu, Zhiguo & Zhang, Jianfei, 2023. "Electrochemical condition optimization and techno-economic analysis on the direct CO2 electroreduction of flue gas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    16. Erfan Shirzadi & Qiu Jin & Ali Shayesteh Zeraati & Roham Dorakhan & Tiago J. Goncalves & Jehad Abed & Byoung-Hoon Lee & Armin Sedighian Rasouli & Joshua Wicks & Jinqiang Zhang & Pengfei Ou & Victor Bo, 2024. "Ligand-modified nanoparticle surfaces influence CO electroreduction selectivity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    17. Pribyl-Kranewitter, B. & Beard, A. & Gîjiu, C.L. & Dinculescu, D. & Schmidt, T.J., 2022. "Influence of low-temperature electrolyser design on economic and environmental potential of CO and HCOOH production: A techno-economic assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    18. Junmei Chen & Haoran Qiu & Yilin Zhao & Haozhou Yang & Lei Fan & Zhihe Liu & ShiBo Xi & Guangtai Zheng & Jiayi Chen & Lei Chen & Ya Liu & Liejin Guo & Lei Wang, 2024. "Selective and stable CO2 electroreduction at high rates via control of local H2O/CO2 ratio," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    19. Doris Segets & Corina Andronescu & Ulf-Peter Apfel, 2023. "Accelerating CO2 electrochemical conversion towards industrial implementation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-5, December.
    20. Shoujie Li & Wei Chen & Xiao Dong & Chang Zhu & Aohui Chen & Yanfang Song & Guihua Li & Wei Wei & Yuhan Sun, 2022. "Hierarchical micro/nanostructured silver hollow fiber boosts electroreduction of carbon dioxide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52409-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.