In operando investigations of oscillatory water and carbonate effects in MEA-based CO2 electrolysis devices

Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) CO2 electrolyzers are a prom-ising approach toward producing carbon-neutral chemicals; however, they often have stability issues related to flooding of the gas diffusion electrode (GDE). Thus, there is an urgent need to comprehend water management in these devices and to engineer electrodes that allow both stable and efficient electrocatalytic performance. Here, we investigated the possible causes of suppression in the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) selectivity on Cu via in operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The in operando XRD allowed us to monitor electro-lyte evolution and bicarbonate formation in the GDE, while in-line gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer allowed us to correlate those changes to the cathode and anode product distribution during CO2 electrolysis (CO2E). We found direct evidence for salt precipita-tion in the cathode GDEs, which causes electrolyte build-up and an increase in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We also observed that the increase in HER is related to a drop in cell potential, at least partially caused by a shift in ion transport through the membrane from carbonates to more conductive hydroxide ions. Thus, this work suggests that proper ion management is an important key to enhanced durability throughout the device.

Automated summary

Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) CO2 electrolyzers are a promising approach for carbon-neutral chemical production, but stability issues due to flooding of the gas diffusion electrode (GDE) are common. This study investigates the causes of CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) selectivity suppression on Cu using in operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The findings highlight the importance of proper ion management for enhanced durability in these devices.