Recent developments in membraneless electrolysis

Membraneless electrolyzers (MEs) are an exciting emerging technology for efficient hydrogen production, chemical production, and carbon capture. Unlike conventional electrolyzers, which employ an ion-conducting, impermeable membrane between the electrodes to separate product gases, MEs achieve gas separation with fluid-dynamic forces. The absence of a membrane affords greater application versatility, and more inexpensive and rapid production than conventional electrolyzers, owing to their simpler design. However, further improvements in efficiency and output gas purity would aid the commercialization of ME technology. This work presents a concise review, characterization, and comparison of the emerging ME architectures, and provides guidance for future research in the field.

Automated summary

Membraneless electrolyzers (MEs) are an exciting emerging technology for efficient hydrogen production, chemical production, and carbon capture. Unlike conventional electrolyzers, which employ an ion-conducting, impermeable membrane between the electrodes to separate product gases, MEs achieve gas separation with fluid-dynamic forces. This work presents a concise review, characterization, and comparison of the emerging ME architectures, and provides guidance for future research in the field.