Industrial Scale Anodes and Cathodes for Conventional Alkaline Electrolysis and Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

The merging of conventional Alkaline Electrolysis (AEL) and Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) has led to the development of Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (AEMWE). At this juncture, both AEL and AEMWE technologies offer an advantage over PEMWE as they do not require critical raw components and/or materials (CRM and PFAS).[1] While AEMWE has demonstrated higher efficiencies than AEL with thin membranes and low concentrations of KOH, AEL technology addresses the significant stability challenge posed by anionic membranes by employing KOH electrolyte in a zero-gap configuration, relying on stable diaphragms. Consequently, AEL technology offers a more cost-effective and scalable solution for current large-scale hydrogen production, while AEMWE remains a promising solution that will most probably be implemented on larger scales in the following decade. New and scalable synthetic routes for more efficient catalysts and electrodes that lower the overall cell voltage of electrolyzers are required on a large scale to reach the readiness level of alkaline technologies. Matteco’s patented processes stand at the forefront of manufacturing highly active and stable catalysts and electrodes crafted from Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs), which have gained increasing attention due to their low overpotentials and promising stabilities.[2] Beyond the intrinsic properties of the catalysts, a myriad of factors—electrolyte concentration, substrate type, loading, and the catalyst/substrate interface—play pivotal roles in determining electrolyzer activity and stability, forming a complex multiparameter matrix. This work presents the electrochemical performance and stability of novel and scalable anode and cathode catalyst coated substrates for both AEL and AMWE technologies. References: [1] N. Du, C. Roy, R. Peach, M. Turnbull, S. Thiele and C. Bock, Chemical Reviews, 122, 11830 (2022). [2] L. Hager, M. Hegelheimer, J. Stonawski, A. T. S. Freiberg, C. Jaramillo-Hernández, G. Abellán, A. Hutzler, T. Böhm, S. Thiele and J. Kerres, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 11, 22347 (2023).