Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 11, Issue 10, Pages 9696-9701Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b00711
Keywords
alkaline membrane electrolyzer; phenyl oxidation; phenyl adsorption; anion exchange ionomer; durability; density functional theory
Funding
- HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials Consortium
- Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy [DE-AC02-05CH11231]
- U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration [DE-NA0003525]
- U.S. Department of Energy [89233218CNA000001]
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The durability of alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers is a critical requirement for implementing this technology in cost-effective hydrogen production. Here, we report that the electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed phenyl group (found in the ionomer) on oxygen evolution catalysts produces phenol, which may cause performance deterioration in AEM electrolyzers. In-line H-1 NMR kinetic analyses of phenyl oxidation in a model organic cation electrolyte shows that catalyst type significantly impacts the phenyl oxidation rate at an oxygen evolution potential. Density functional theory calculations show that the phenyl adsorption is a critical factor determining the phenyl oxidation. This research provides a path for the development of more durable AEM electrolyzers with components that can minimize the adverse impact induced by the phenyl group oxidation, such as the development of novel ionomers with fewer phenyl moieties or catalysts with less phenyl-adsorbing character.
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