Enhancing Properties of Anion Exchange Membranes for Water Electrolysis

Abstract

Water electrolysis, a pivotal technology for producing hydrogen from water decomposition, stands as a crucial approach for generating green hydrogen devoid of carbon dioxide or other pollutants. Among various water electrolysis techniques, Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (AEMWE) relies on an anion exchange membrane (AEM). However, AEMs face challenges such as low ionic conductivity and physical stability. To overcome these limitations, an AEM was developed by saturating a porous PE substrate with an electrolyte solution containing an anion-conducting monomer, a cross-linker, and a photo-initiator, followed by UV irradiation for polymerization. The quantity of electrolyte significantly influences the membrane's ionic conductivity, while the number of vinyl groups in the crosslinking agent directly impacts its binding capacity with the electrolyte. Thus, this study employed the same electrolyte while varying the number of vinyl groups in the crosslinker as a variable. The ionic conductivity, ion exchange capacity, contact angle, water uptake, swelling ratio, and transport number of each membrane with two different compositions were measured. Subsequently, the performance and durability in AEMWE were assessed to determine the most suitable composition for this technology. Acknowledgment This research was supported in part by the New and Renewable Energy of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (No. 20213030040520) and by 2021 Green Convergence Professional Manpower Training Program of the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute funded by the Ministry of Environment.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.1149/ma2024-02282189mtgabs

Journal

ECS Meeting Abstracts

Year

2024