@article{35251,
  author = {Jiangjin Liu and Adam Z Weber},
  title = {Ionomer Optimization for Hydroxide-Exchange-Membrane Water Electrolyzers Operated with Distilled Water: A Modeling Study},
  abstract = {<p><span>The hydroxide-exchange-membrane water electrolyzer (HEMWE) is a promising means to store intermittent renewable energy in the form of hydrogen chemical energy. The hydroxide-exchange ionomer (HEI) in the gas-evolving electrodes and the hydroxide-exchange membrane (HEM) are key components of HEMWE. In this work, we simulate the cell and examine explicitly the impact of HEI and HEM properties with a focus on improving HEMWE performance when operated with distilled water (</span><em>i.e</em><span>., no supporting electrolyte). The tradeoff between the ionic conductivity gain and electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) loss is studied. For a constant catalyst loading, distributing more catalyst next to the HEM or making thinner but denser catalyst layer is beneficial for HEMWE performance. The results demonstrate that a higher water diffusion coefficient is desired for HEM to supply reactant water to the cathode. In contrast, a lower water diffusion coefficient is preferred for the cathode HEI to retain the water in the regions with high reaction rates. Overall, the findings provide important insights to optimizing HEI/HEM materials for improved HEMWE performance.</span></p>},
  year = {2022},
  journal = {Journal of The Electrochemical Society},
  volume = {169},
  pages = {054506},
  month = {05/2022},
  issn = {0013-4651},
  url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/ac69c4},
  doi = {10.1149/1945-7111/ac69c4},
  language = {eng},
}