Electrolyte layer gas triggers cathode potential instability in CO2 electrolyzers

Krause, Kevin M.; Lee, Jason K.; Lee, ChungHyuk; Shafaque, Hisan W.; Kim, Pascal J.; Fahy, Kieran F.; Shrestha, Pranay; LaManna, Jacob M.; Baltic, Elias; Jacobson, David L.; Hussey, Daniel S.; Bazylak, Aimy

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230879

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Nonetheless, only two neutron-imaging studies investigating CO 2 electrolyzers have been published up to now. The first study investigated bubble formation in a liquid buffer layer on the cathode side 18 . Besides high cell potentials, cells with a liquid catholyte between the membrane and cathode GDE often exhibit fast electrode flooding, as the cathode is in direct contact with the liquid electrolyte.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis

et al. 2022

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The electrochemical reduction of CO2 is a pivotal technology for the defossilization of the chemical industry. Although pilot-scale electrolyzers exist, water management and salt precipitation remain a major hurdle to long-term operation. In this work, we present high-resolution neutron imaging (6 μm) of a zero-gap CO2 electrolyzer to uncover water distribution and salt precipitation under application-relevant operating conditions (200 mA cm−2 at a cell voltage of 2.8 V with a Faraday efficiency for CO of 99%). Precipitated salts penetrating the cathode gas diffusion layer can be observed, which are believed to block the CO2 gas transport and are therefore the major cause for the commonly observed decay in Faraday efficiency. Neutron imaging further shows higher salt accumulation under the cathode channel of the flow field compared to the land.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis

et al. 2022

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“…The same group also employed high spatial resolution (15 mm) neutron imaging to study the formation of gas bubbles in the catholyte layer of a CO 2 electrolyzer, which they correlated to performance instability. 128 The gas saturation of a 3 M KHCO 3 electrolyte increased with increasing current density to 50 mA cm À2 , then it reached a plateau. The dispersion in the cathode potential was correlated to the gas saturation of the electrolyte.…”

Section: Neutron and X-ray Imagingmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…These are focused on the membrane hydration, water distribution across the MEA and gas bubble formation in the electrolyte layers. 78,91,100,128,129 To maintain a high ionic conductance, therefore fast ion transport in CO2 electrolyzers, it is necessary for the ion exchange membrane to be in a well-hydrated state. 31 Recently neutron imaging was employed to directly quantify liquid water distribution across a MEA (Figure 11A).…”

Section: Neutron and X-ray Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neutron/X-ray radiography 78,91,100,128,129 Water management Neutron/synchrotron facility Few seconds for X-ray few tenths of seconds for neutron mm -scale (x, y) Gas evolution Limited elemental information Precipitate formation Operando cell failure diagnostics Only minor cell modification needed Thermography 130 Local activity mapping One-to-one correlation between temperature change and activity has to be proved Depends on catalyst substrate, layer thickness, etc. Noninvasive probing to assess activity distribution a XAS: X-ray absorption spectroscopy, SECM: scanning electrochemical microscopy, AFM: atomic force microscopy, MS: mass spectrometry.…”

Section: Mechanistic Information Isotopic Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Operandocharacterization of continuous flow CO₂electrolyzers: current status and future prospects

Hursán

Janáky

2023

Chem. Commun.

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“…The performance instability has been proposed to mainly stem from the factors such as electrolyte flooding and electrolyte salt precipitation, as well as the gas accumulation within the electrodes. [ 43 ]…”

Section: Structures Design Of Electrodes For Co2rrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in cutting‐edge electrode engineering toward CO₂ electrolysis at high current density and selectivity: A mini‐review

Tang

Weiss

Shao

2022

Carbon Neutralization

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Electrochemical CO2 conversion has been raised as a promising solution for building a carbon‐neutral economy under today's circumstances of increasing energy shortages and air pollution from human activities. Research on electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is gradually entering a pilot‐scale stage. The use of device‐level CO2 electrolysis in the production of value‐added chemicals and fuels at a high production rate and selectivity is highly required to make the technology economical and sustainable. With more exploration toward device‐level performance optimization, it gradually becomes clear that electrode engineering on structures, surface properties, active site distribution, and density, as well as the electrode–electrolyte interface, is more critical than the intrinsic activity of catalytic sites. Taking this into account, this review focuses on interpreting the design principles in aspects with the aim of enhancing the CO2RR toward a specific product yield and production rate. This mini‐review summarizes the advances in this dynamic field in the most recent 5 years, including the fabrication of porous gas diffusion electrodes, and self‐supporting electrodes, establishment of tandem or cascade electrode function, as well as tuning of interfacial cation buffering and wettability, and analyze the trends in the future scientific and technological development of device‐level CO2 electrolysis. Hopefully, this mini‐review could provide some insights into the opportunities in the next‐generation electrode design for the industrial carbon cycle.

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Electrolyte layer gas triggers cathode potential instability in CO2 electrolyzers

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis

High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis

Operandocharacterization of continuous flow CO₂electrolyzers: current status and future prospects

Advances in cutting‐edge electrode engineering toward CO₂ electrolysis at high current density and selectivity: A mini‐review

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Electrolyte layer gas triggers cathode potential instability in CO2 electrolyzers

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis

High-resolution neutron imaging of salt precipitation and water transport in zero-gap CO2 electrolysis

Operandocharacterization of continuous flow CO2electrolyzers: current status and future prospects

Advances in cutting‐edge electrode engineering toward CO2 electrolysis at high current density and selectivity: A mini‐review

Contact Info

Product

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Operandocharacterization of continuous flow CO₂electrolyzers: current status and future prospects

Advances in cutting‐edge electrode engineering toward CO₂ electrolysis at high current density and selectivity: A mini‐review