Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis(PEMWE)plays a critical role in practical hydrogen production.Except for the electrode activities,the widespread deployment of PEMWE is severely obstructed by the poor electr...Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis(PEMWE)plays a critical role in practical hydrogen production.Except for the electrode activities,the widespread deployment of PEMWE is severely obstructed by the poor electron-proton permeability across the catalyst layer(CL)and the inefficient transport structure.In this work,the PEDOT:F(Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):perfluorosulfonic acid)ionomers with mixed proton-electron conductor(MPEC)were fabricated,which allows for a homogeneous anodic CL structure and the construction of a highly efficient triple-phase interface.The PEDOT:F exhibits strong perfluorosulfonic acid(PFSA)side chain extensibility,enabling the formation of large hydrophilic ion clusters that form proton-electron transport channels within the CL networks,thus contributing to the surface reactant water adsorption.The PEMWE device employing membrane electrode assembly(MEA)prepared by PEDOT:F-2 demonstrates a competitive voltage of 1.713 V under a water-splitting current of 2 A cm^(-2)(1.746 V at 2A cm^(-2) for MEA prepared by Nafion D520),along with exceptional long-term stability.Meanwhile,the MEA prepared by PEDOT:F-2 also exhibits lower ohmic resistance,which is reduced by 23.4%and 17.6%at 0.1 A cm^(-2) and 1.5 A cm^(-2),respectively,as compared to the MEA prepared by D520.The augmentation can be ascribed to the superior proton and electron conductivity inherent in PEDOT:F,coupled with its remarkable structural stability.This characteristic enables expeditious mass transfer during electrolytic reactions,thereby enhancing the performance of PEMWE devices.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52202009)Key Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province(2020B0909040001)+1 种基金Key R&D project of Hubei Province,China(2021AAA006)Guangdong Hydrogen Energy Institute of WHUT under Guangdong Key Areas Research and Development Program(2019B090909003).
文摘Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis(PEMWE)plays a critical role in practical hydrogen production.Except for the electrode activities,the widespread deployment of PEMWE is severely obstructed by the poor electron-proton permeability across the catalyst layer(CL)and the inefficient transport structure.In this work,the PEDOT:F(Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):perfluorosulfonic acid)ionomers with mixed proton-electron conductor(MPEC)were fabricated,which allows for a homogeneous anodic CL structure and the construction of a highly efficient triple-phase interface.The PEDOT:F exhibits strong perfluorosulfonic acid(PFSA)side chain extensibility,enabling the formation of large hydrophilic ion clusters that form proton-electron transport channels within the CL networks,thus contributing to the surface reactant water adsorption.The PEMWE device employing membrane electrode assembly(MEA)prepared by PEDOT:F-2 demonstrates a competitive voltage of 1.713 V under a water-splitting current of 2 A cm^(-2)(1.746 V at 2A cm^(-2) for MEA prepared by Nafion D520),along with exceptional long-term stability.Meanwhile,the MEA prepared by PEDOT:F-2 also exhibits lower ohmic resistance,which is reduced by 23.4%and 17.6%at 0.1 A cm^(-2) and 1.5 A cm^(-2),respectively,as compared to the MEA prepared by D520.The augmentation can be ascribed to the superior proton and electron conductivity inherent in PEDOT:F,coupled with its remarkable structural stability.This characteristic enables expeditious mass transfer during electrolytic reactions,thereby enhancing the performance of PEMWE devices.