Development of advanced anion exchange membrane from the view of the performance of water electrolysis cell

Green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis combined with renewable energy is a promising alternative to fossil fuels due to its high energy density with zero-carbon emissions.Among water electrolysis technologies,the anion exchange membrane(AEM) water electrolysis has gained intensive attention and is considered as the next-generation emerging technology due to its potential advantages,such as the use of low-cost non-noble metal catalysts,the relatively mature stack assembly process,etc.However,the AEM water electrolyzer is still in the early development stage of the kW-level stack,which is mainly attributed to severe performance decay caused by the core component,i.e.,AEM.Here,the review comprehensively presents the recent progress of advanced AEM from the view of the performance of water electrolysis cells.Herein,fundamental principles and critical components of AEM water electrolyzers are introduced,and work conditions of AEM water electrolyzers and AEM performance improvement strategies are discussed.The challenges and perspectives are also analyzed.

Structural Isomers:Small Change with Big Difference in Anion Storage

Organic electrode materials are promising for batteries.However,the reported organic electrodes are often facing the challenges of low specific capacity,low voltage,poor rate capability and vague charge storage mechanisms,etc.Isomers are good platform to investigate the charge storage mechanisms and enhance the performance of batteries,which,however,have not been focused in batteries.Herein,two isomers are reported for batteries.As a result,the isomer tetrathiafulvalene(TTF)could store two monovalent anions reversibly,deriving an average discharge voltage of 1.05 V and a specific capacity of 220 mAh g−1 at a current density of 2 C.On the other hand,the other isomer tetrathianaphthalene could only reversibly store one monovalent anion and upon further oxidation,it would undergo an irreversible solid-state molecular rearrangement to TTF.The molecular rearrangement was confirmed by electrochemical performances,X-ray diffraction patterns,nuclear magnetic resonance spectra,and 1H detected heteronuclear multiple bond correlation spectra.These results suggested the small structural change could lead to a big difference in anion storage,and we hope this work will stimulate more attention to the structural design for boosting the performance of organic batteries.

Synergistic anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system with high emulsification efficiency for enhanced oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs

Emulsification is one of the important mechanisms of surfactant flooding. To improve oil recovery for low permeability reservoirs, a highly efficient emulsification oil flooding system consisting of anionic surfactant sodium alkyl glucosyl hydroxypropyl sulfonate(APGSHS) and zwitterionic surfactant octadecyl betaine(BS-18) is proposed. The performance of APGSHS/BS-18 mixed surfactant system was evaluated in terms of interfacial tension, emulsification capability, emulsion size and distribution, wettability alteration, temperature-resistance and salt-resistance. The emulsification speed was used to evaluate the emulsification ability of surfactant systems, and the results show that mixed surfactant systems can completely emulsify the crude oil into emulsions droplets even under low energy conditions. Meanwhile,the system exhibits good temperature and salt resistance. Finally, the best oil recovery of 25.45% is achieved for low permeability core by the mixed surfactant system with a total concentration of 0.3 wt%while the molar ratio of APGSHS:BS-18 is 4:6. The current study indicates that the anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system can improve the oil flooding efficiency and is potential candidate for application in low permeability reservoirs.

Towards high-performance and robust anion exchange membranes(AEMs)for water electrolysis:Super-acid-catalyzed synthesis of AEMs

The increasing demand for hydrogen energy to address environmental issues and achieve carbon neutrality has elevated interest in green hydrogen production,which does not rely on fossil fuels.Among various hydrogen production technologies,anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer(AEMWE)has emerged as a next-generation technology known for its high hydrogen production efficiency and its ability to use non-metal catalysts.However,this technology faces significant challenges,particularly in terms of the membrane durability and low ionic conductivity.To address these challenges,research efforts have focused on developing membranes with a new backbone structure and anion exchange groups to enhance durability and ionic conductivity.Notably,the super-acid-catalyzed condensation(SACC)synthesis method stands out due to its user convenience,the ability to create high molecular weight(MW)polymers,and the use of oxygen-tolerant organic catalysts.Although the synthesis of anion exchange membranes(AEMs)using the SACC method began in 2015,and despite growing interest in this synthesis approach,there remains a scarcity of review papers focusing on AEMs synthesized using the SACC method.The review covers the basics of SACC synthesis,presents various polymers synthesized using this method,and summarizes the development of these polymers,particularly their building blocks including aryl,ketone,and anion exchange groups.We systematically describe the effects of changes in the molecular structure of each polymer component,conducted by various research groups,on the mechanical properties,conductivity,and operational stability of the membrane.This review will provide insights into the development of AEMs with superior performance and operational stability suitable for water electrolysis applications.

Simultaneous Degradation, Dehalogenation, and Detoxification of Halogenated Antibiotics by Carbon Dioxide Radical Anions

Despite the extensive application of advanced oxidation processes(AOPs)in water treatment,the efficiency of AOPs in eliminating various emerging contaminants such as halogenated antibiotics is constrained by a number of factors.Halogen moieties exhibit strong resistance to oxidative radicals,affecting the dehalogenation and detoxification efficiencies.To address these limitations of AOPs,advanced reduction processes(ARPs)have been proposed.Herein,a novel nucleophilic reductant—namely,the carbon dioxide radical anion(CO_(2)^(·-))—is introduced for the simultaneous degradation,dehalogenation,and detoxification of florfenicol(FF),a typical halogenated antibiotic.The results demonstrate that FF is completely eliminated by CO_(2)^(·-),with approximately 100%of Cland 46%of Freleased after 120 min of treatment.Simultaneous detoxification is observed,which exhibits a linear response to the release of free inorganic halogen ions(R^(2)=0.97,p<0.01).The formation of halogen-free products is the primary reason for the superior detoxification performance of this method,in comparison with conventional hydroxyl-radical-based AOPs.Products identification and density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal the underlying dehalogenation mechanism,in which the chlorine moiety of FF is more susceptible than other moieties to nucleophilic attack by CO_(2)^(·-).Moreover,CO_(2)^(·-)-based ARPs exhibit superior dehalogenation efficiencies(>75%)in degrading a series of halogenated antibiotics,including chloramphenicol(CAP),thiamphenicol(THA),diclofenac(DLF),triclosan(TCS),and ciprofloxacin(CIP).The system shows high tolerance to the pH of the solution and the presence of natural water constituents,and demonstrates an excellent degradation performance in actual groundwater,indicating the strong application potential of CO_(2)^(·-)-based ARPs in real life.Overall,this study elucidates the feasibility of CO_(2)^(·-)for the simultaneous degradation,dehalogenation,and detoxification of halogenated antibiotics and provides a promising method for their regulation during water or wastewater treatment.

Effect of solvent on the initiation mechanism of living anionic polymerization of styrene:A computational study

For living anionic polymerization(LAP),solvent has a great influence on both reaction mechanism and kinetics.In this work,by using the classical butyl lithium-styrene polymerization as a model system,the effect of solvent on the mechanism and kinetics of LAP was revealed through a strategy combining density functional theory(DFT)calculations and kinetic modeling.In terms of mechanism,it is found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the more electrons transfer from initiator to solvent through detailed energy decomposition analysis of electrostatic interactions between initiator and solvent molecules.Furthermore,we also found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the higher the monomer initiation energy barrier and the smaller the initiation rate coefficient.Counterintuitively,initiation is more favorable at lower temperatures based on the calculated results ofΔG_(TS).Finally,the kinetic characteristics in different solvents were further examined by kinetic modeling.It is found that in benzene and n-pentane,the polymerization rate exhibits first-order kinetics.While,slow initiation and fast propagation were observed in tetrahydrofuran(THF)due to the slow free ion formation rate,leading to a deviation from first-order kinetics.

Anion storing,oxygen vacancy incorporated perovskite oxide composites for high-performance aqueous dual ion hybrid supercapacitors

Dual ion storage hybrid supercapacitors(HsCs)are considered as a promising device to overcome the limited energy density of existing supercapacitors while preserving high power and long cyclability.However,the development of high-capacity anion-storing materials,which can be paired with fast charg-ing capacitive electrodes,lags behind cation-storing counterparts.Herein,we demonstrate the surface faradaic OH-storage mechanism of anion storing perovskite oxide composites and their application in high-performance dual ion HsCs.The oxygen vacancy and nanoparticle size of the reduced LaMnO_(3)(r-LaMnO_(3))were controlled,while r-LaMnO_(3) was chemically coupled with ozonated carbon nanotubes(oCNTs)for the improved anion storing capacity and cycle performance.As taken by in-situ and ex-situ spectroscopic and computational analyses,OH-ions are inserted into the oxygen vacancies coordi-nating with octahedral Mn with the increase in the oxidation state of Mn during the charging process or vice versa.Configuring OH-storing r-LaMnO_(3)/oCNT composite with Na*storing MXene,the as-fabricated aqueous dual ion HSCs achieved the cycle performance of 73.3%over 10,000 cycles,delivering the max-imum energy and power densities of 47.5 w h kg^(-1) and 8 kw kg^(-1),respectively,far exceeding those of previously reported aqueous anion and dual ion storage cells.This research establishes a foundation for the unique anion storage mechanism of the defect engineered perovskite oxides and the advancement of dual ion hybrid energy storage devices with high energy and power densities.

Anion exchange membranes with a semi-interpenetrating polymer network using 1,6-dibromohexane as bifunctional crosslinker

An anion exchange membrane(AEM)is generally expected to possess high ion exchange capacity(IEC),low water uptake(WU),and high mechanical strength when applied to electrodialysis desalination.Among different types of AEMs,semi-interpenetrating polymer networks(SIPNs)have been suggested for their structural superiorities,i.e.,the tunable local density of ion exchange groups for IEC and the restrained leaching of hygroscopic groups by insolubility for WU.Unfortunately,the conventional SIPN AEMs still struggle to balances IEC,WU,and mechanical strength simultaneously,due to the lack of the compact crosslinking region.In this work,we proposed a novel SIPN structure of polyvinylidene difluoride/polyvinylimidazole/1,6-dibromohexane(PVDF/PVIm/DBH).On the one hand,DBH with two cationic groups of imidazole groups are introduced to enhance the ion conductivity,which is different from the conventional monofunctional modifier with only one cationic group.On the other hand,DBH has the ability to bridge with PVIm,where the mechanical strength of the resulting AEM is increased by the increase of crosslinking degree.Results show that a low WU of 38.1%to 62.6%,high IEC of 2.12—2.22 mmol·g^(-1),and excellent tensile strength of 3.54—12.35 MPa for PVDF/PVIm/DBH membrane are achieved.This work opens a new avenue for achieving the high-quality AEMs.

The effect of salt anion in ether‐based electrolyte for electrochemical performance of sodium‐ion batteries:A case study of hard carbon

Compared with the extensively used ester‐based electrolyte,the hard carbon(HC)electrode is more compatible with the ether‐based counterpart in sodium‐ion batteries,which can lead to improved cycling stability and robust rate capability.However,the impact of salt anion on the electrochemical performance of HC electrodes has yet to be fully understood.In this study,the anionic chemistry in regulating the stability of electrolytes and the performance of sodium‐ion batteries have been systematically investigated.This work shows discrepancies in the reductive stability of the anionic group,redox kinetics,and component/structure of solid electrolyte interface(SEI)with different salts(NaBF_(4),NaPF_(6),and NaSO_(3)CF_(3))in the typical ether solvent(diglyme).Particularly,the density functional theory calculation manifests the preferred decomposition of PF_(6)−due to the reduced reductive stability of anions in the solvation structure,thus leading to the formation of NaF‐rich SEI.Further investigation on redox kinetics reveals that the NaPF_(6)/diglyme can induce the fast ionic diffusion dynamic and low charge transfer barrier for HC electrode,thus resulting in superior sodium storage performance in terms of rate capability and cycling life,which outperforms those of NaBF_(4)/diglyme and NaSO_(3)CF_(3)/diglyme.Importantly,this work offers valuable insights for optimizing the electrochemical behaviors of electrode materials by regulating the anionic group in the electrolyte.

Electrochemical reconstruction of non-noble metal-based heterostructure nanorod arrays electrodes for highly stable anion exchange membrane seawater electrolysis

Direct seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production has been regarded as a viable route to utilize surplus renewable energy and address the climate crisis.However,the harsh electrochemical environment of seawater,particularly the presence of aggressive Cl^(-),has been proven to be prone to parasitic chloride ion oxidation and corrosion reactions,thus restricting seawater electrolyzer lifetime.Herein,hierarchical structure(Ni,Fe)O(OH)@NiCoS nanorod arrays(NAs)catalysts with heterointerfaces and localized oxygen vacancies were synthesized at nickel foam substrates via the combination of hydrothermal and annealing methods to boost seawater dissociation.The hiera rchical nanostructure of NiCoS NAs enhanced electrode charge transfer rate and active surface area to accelerate oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and generated sulfate gradient layers to repulsive aggressive Cl^(-).The fabricated heterostructure and vacancies of(Ni,Fe)O(OH)tuned catalyst electronic structure into an electrophilic state to enhance the binding affinity of hydroxyl intermediates and facilitate the structural transformation into amorphousγ-NiFeOOH for promoting OER.Furthermore,through operando electrochemistry techniques,we found that theγ-NiFeOOH possessing an unsaturated coordination environment and lattice-oxygen-participated OER mechanism can minimize electrode Cl^(-)corrosion enabled by stabilizing the adsorption of OH*intermediates,making it one of the best OER catalysts in the seawater medium reported to date.Consequently,these catalysts can deliver current densities of 100 and 500 mA cm-2for boosting OER at minimal overpotentials of 245and 316 mV,respectively,and thus prevent chloride ion oxidation simultaneously.Impressively,a highly stable anion exchange membrane(AEM)seawater electrolyzer based on the non-noble metal heterostructure electrodes reached a record low degradation rate under 100μV h-1at constant industrial current densities of 400 and 600 mA cm-2over 300 h,which exhibits a promising future for the nonprecious and stable AEMWE in the direct seawater electrolysis industry.

Durable poly(binaphthyl-co-p-terphenyl piperidinium)-based anion exchange membranes with dual side chains

Building well-developed ion-conductive highways is highly desirable for anion exchange membranes(AEMs).Grafting side chain is a highly effective approach for constructing a well-defined phaseseparated morphological structure and forming unblocked ion pathways in AEMs for fast ion transport.Fluorination of side chains can further enhance phase separation due to the superhydrophobic nature of fluorine groups.However,their electronic effect on the alkaline stability of side chains and membranes is rarely reported.Here,fluorine-containing and fluorine-free side chains are introduced into the polyaromatic backbone in proper configuration to investigate the impact of the fluorine terminal group on the stability of the side chains and membrane properties.The poly(binaphthyl-co-p-terphenyl piperidinium)AEM(QBNp TP)has the highest molecular weight and most dimensional stability due to its favorable backbone arrangement among ortho-and meta-terphenyl based AEMs.Importantly,by introducing both a fluorinated piperidinium side chain and a hexane chain into the p-terphenyl-based backbone,the prepared AEM(QBNp TP-QFC)presents an enhanced conductivity(150.6 m S cm^(-1))and a constrained swelling at 80℃.The electronic effect of fluorinated side chains is contemplated by experiments and simulations.The results demonstrate that the presence of strong electro-withdrawing fluorine groups weakens the electronic cloud of adjacent C atoms,increasing OH^(-)attack on the C atom and improving the stability of piperidinium cations.Hence QBNp TP-QFC possesses a robust alkaline stability at 80℃(95.3%conductivity retention after testing in 2 M Na OH for 2160 h).An excellent peak power density of 1.44 W cm^(-2)and a remarkable durability at 80℃(4.5%voltage loss after 100 h)can be observed.

Theoretical investigation of excited dipole bound states of alkali-containing diatomic anions

Information about electronic excited states of molecular anions plays an important role in investigating electron attachment and detachment processes.Here we present a high-level theoretical study of the electronic structures of 12 alkali-metal-containing diatomic anions MX-(MX = LiH,LiF,LiCl,NaF,NaCl,NaBr,RbCl,KCl,KBr,RbI,KI and CsI).The equation-of-motion electron-attachment coupled-cluster singles and doubles(EOM-EA-CCSD) method is used to calculate the electron binding energies(EBEs) of 10 electronic excited states of each of the 12 molecule anions.With addition of different s-/p-/d-type diffusion functions in the basis set,we have identified possible excited dipole bound states(DBSs) of each anion.With the investigation of EBEs on the 12 MXs with dipole moment(DM) up to 12.1 D,we evaluate the dependence of the number of anionic excited DBSs on molecular DM.The results indicate that there are at least two or three DBSs of anions with a molecular DM larger than 7 D and a molecule with DM > 10 D can sustain a π-DBS of the anion.Our study has some implications for the excited DBS electronic states of alkali-metal-containing diatomic molecules.

Electrochemical synthesis of trimetallic nickel-iron-copper nanoparticles via potential-cycling for high current density anion exchange membrane water-splitting applications

Hydrogen is known for its elevated energy density and environmental compatibility and is a promising alternative to fossil fuels.Alkaline water electrolysis utilizing renewable energy sources has emerged as a means to obtain high-purity hydrogen.Nevertheless,electrocatalysts used in the process are fabricated using conventional wet chemical synthesis methods,such as sol-gel,hydrothermal,or surfactantassisted approaches,which often necessitate intricate pretreatment procedures and are vulnerable to post-treatment contamination.Therefore,this study introduces a streamlined and environmentally conscious one-step potential-cycling approach to generate a highly efficient trimetallic nickel-iron-copper electrocatalyst in situ on nickel foam.The synthesized material exhibited remarkable performance,requiring a mere 476 mV to drive electrochemical water splitting at 100 mA cm^(-2)current density in alkaline solution.Furthermore,this material was integrated into an anion exchange membrane watersplitting device and achieved an exceptionally high current density of 1 A cm^(-2)at a low cell voltage of2.13 V,outperforming the noble-metal benchmark(2.51 V).Additionally,ex situ characterizations were employed to detect transformations in the active sites during the catalytic process,revealing the structural transformations and providing inspiration for further design of electrocatalysts.

Anion competition for Li^(+)solvated coordination environments in poly(1,3 dioxolane)electrolyte to enable high-voltage lithium metal solid-state batteries

Gel-based polymer electrolytes are limited by the polarity of the residual solvent,which restricts the coupling-breaking behaviour during Li^(+)conduction,resulting in the Li^(+)transport kinetics being greatly affected.Here,we designed anion competitive gel polymer electrolyte(ACPE)by introducing lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate(LiDFOB)anion into the 1,3-dioxolane(DOL)in situ polymerisation system.ACPE enhances the ionic dipole interaction between Li^(+)and the solvent molecules and synergizes with Li^(+)across the solvation site of the polymer ethylene oxide(EO)unit,combination that greatly improves the Li^(+)transport efficiency.As a result,ACPE exhibits 1.12 mS cm^(−1)ionic conductivity and 0.75 Li^(+)transfer number at room temperature.Additionally,this intra-polymer solvation sheath allows preferential desolvation of DFOB−,which contributes to the formation of kinetically stable anion-derived interphase and effectively mitigates side reactions.Our results demonstrate that the assembled Li||NCM622 solid-state battery exhibits lifespan of over 300 cycles with average Coulombic efficiency of 98.8%and capacity retention of 80.3%.This study introduces a novel approach for ion migration and interface design,paving the way for high-safety and high-energy-density batteries.

In situ generation of oxyanions-decorated cobalt(nickel)oxyhydroxide catalyst with high corrosion resistance for stable and efficient seawater oxidation

The development of efficient and robust anode materials for stable alkaline seawater electrolysis is severely limited by chlorine evolution reaction and chloride corrosion.Here,the sulfur-doped cobalt-nickel bimetallic phosphides(CoNiPS)are specifically designed as a pre-catalyst for navigating a surface reconstruction to fabricate the anions(PO^(3-)_(4) and SO^(2-)_(4))-decorated Co(Ni)OOH catalyst(R-CoNiPS)with exceptional durability and high activity for stable alkaline seawater oxidation(ASO).Various experiment techniques together with theoretical simulations both demonstrate that the in situ-generated PO^(3-)_(4) and SO^(2-)_(4) anions on catalyst surface can improve the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)activity,regulating and stabilizing the catalytic active species Co(Ni)OOH,as well as make a critical role in inhibiting the adsorp-tion of chloride ions and extending the service life of electrode.Therefore,this R-CoNiPS electrode exhi-bits superb OER activity toward AsO and stands out among the non-precious ASO electrocatalysts reported recently,requiring low overpotentials of 420 and 440 mV to attain large current densities of 500 and 1000 mA cm^(-2) in an alkaline natural seawater electrolyte,respectively.Particularly,the catalyst displays a negligible chloride corrosion at room temperature during ASO operation(>200 h)at 500 mA cm^(-2).This work opens up a new viewpoint for designing high-activity and durable electrocata-lystsforseawaterelectrolysis.

Synthesis of crystal-phase and color tunable mixed anion co-doped titanium oxides and their controllable photocatalytic activity

B and N mixed anions co-doped titania with various crystal phases such as anatase,brookite,and rutile were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal synthesis followed by heat treatment in an ammonia gas atmosphere at 550-650℃(denoted as BN-Ana_x,BN-Bro_x,and BN-Rut_x,x is the treatment temperature).The colors of as-prepared BN-Ana,BN-Bro,and BN-Rut are red,yellow-green,and cyangreen,respectively.The color changing mechanism of titania was related to their various band gap structure and the existence of B-N bonding.The nitridation temperature exhibits effective color changing compared to that of nitridation time.The different phases of the mixed anion codoped titania possess different photocatalytic deNO_(x) activity.The BN-Ana and BN-Rut show poor photocatalytic deNO_(x) activity,while the BN-Bro shows excellent photocatalytic deNO_(x) activity,better than that of standard titania photocatalyst Degussa P25.The colorful titania with low-photocatalytic activity is heavy metal elements free,indicating their possible applications as nontoxic color pigments or novel cosmetic raw materials.

Anion Defects Engineering of Ternary Nb-Based Chalcogenide Anodes Toward High-Performance Sodium-Based Dual-Ion Batteries

Sodium-based dual-ion batteries(SDIBs) have gained tremendous attention due to their virtues of high operating voltage and low cost, yet it remains a tough challenge for the development of ideal anode material of SDIBs featuring with high kinetics and long durability. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of N-doped carbon film-modified niobium sulfur–selenium(NbSSe/NC) nanosheets architecture, which holds favorable merits for Na^(+) storage of enlarged interlayer space, improved electrical conductivity, as well as enhanced reaction reversibility, endowing it with high capacity, high-rate capability and high cycling stability. The combined electrochemical studies with density functional theory calculation reveal that the enriched defects in such nanosheets architecture can benefit for facilitating charge transfer and Na+ adsorption to speed the electrochemical kinetics. The NbSSe/NC composites are studied as the anode of a full SDIBs by pairing the expanded graphite as cathode, which shows an impressively cyclic durability with negligible capacity attenuation over 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g^(-1), as well as an outstanding energy density of 230.6 Wh kg^(-1) based on the total mass of anode and cathode.

A fast and in-depth self-reconstruction of anion ligands optimized CoFe-based pre-catalysts for water oxidation

The design of efficient and robust non-precious metal electrocatalysts towards oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is of great value for developing green energy technologies.The in-situ formed high-valence(oxy)hydroxides species during the reconstruction process of pre-catalysts are recognized as the real contributing sites for OER.However,pre-catalysts generally undergo a slow and inadequate self-reconstruction.Herein,we reported a PO^(3-)_(4)optimized CoFe-based OER catalysts with amorphous structure,which enables a fast and deep reconstruction during the OER process.The amorphous structure induced by ligands PO^(3-)_(4)is prone to evolution and further form active species for OER.The electron interaction between metal sites can be modulated by electron-rich PO^(3-)_(4),which promotes generation of high active CoOOH.Simultaneously,the etching of PO^(3-)_(4)from the pre-catalysts during the catalytic process is in favor of accelerating the self-reconstruction.As a result,as-prepared precatalyst can generate high active CoOOH at a low potential of 1.4 V and achieve an in-depth reconstructed nanosheet structure with abundant OER active sites.Our work provides a promising design of pre-catalysts for realizing efficient catalysis of water oxidation.

Technical factors affecting the performance of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer

Anion exchange membrane(AEM)electrolysis is a promising membrane-based green hydrogen production technology.However,AEM electrolysis still remains in its infancy,and the performance of AEM electrolyzers is far behind that of well-developed alkaline and proton exchange membrane electrolyzers.Therefore,breaking through the technical barriers of AEM electrolyzers is critical.On the basis of the analysis of the electrochemical performance tested in a single cell,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,and the number of active sites,we evaluated the main technical factors that affect AEM electrolyzers.These factors included catalyst layer manufacturing(e.g.,catalyst,carbon black,and anionic ionomer)loadings,membrane electrode assembly,and testing conditions(e.g.,the KOH concentration in the electrolyte,electrolyte feeding mode,and operating temperature).The underlying mechanisms of the effects of these factors on AEM electrolyzer performance were also revealed.The irreversible voltage loss in the AEM electrolyzer was concluded to be mainly associated with the kinetics of the electrode reaction and the transport of electrons,ions,and gas-phase products involved in electrolysis.Based on the study results,the performance and stability of AEM electrolyzers were significantly improved.

Occurrence of anionic redox with absence of full oxidation to Ru^(5+) in high-energy P2-type layered oxide cathode

The anionic redox has been widely studied in layered-oxide-cathodes in attempts to achieve highenergy-density for Na-ion batteries(NIBs).It is known that an oxidation state of Mn^(4+) or Ru^(5+) is essential for the anionic reaction of O^(2-)/O~-to occur during Na^(+) de/intercalation.However,here,we report that the anionic redox can occur in Ru-based layered-oxide-cathodes before full oxidation of Ru^(4+)/Ru^(5+).Combining studies using first-principles calculation and experimental techniques reveals that further Na^(+) deintercalation from P2-Na_(0.33)[Mg_(0.33)Ru_(0.67)]O_(2) is based on anionic oxidation after 0.33 mol Na^(+) deintercalation from P2-Na_(0.67)[Mg_(0.33)Ru_(0.67)]O_(2) with cationic oxidation of Ru^(4+)/Ru^(4.5+).Especially,it is revealed that the only oxygen neighboring 2Mg/1 Ru can participate in the anionic redox during Na^(+) de/intercalation,which implies that the Na-O-Mg arrangement in the P2-Na_(0.33)[M9_(0.33)Ru_(0.67)]O_(2) structure can dramatically lower the thermodynamic stability of the anionic redox than that of cationic redox.Through the O anionic and Ru cationic reaction,P2-Na_(0.67)[Mg_(0.33)Ru_(0.67)]O_(2) exhibits not only a large specific capacity of~172 mA h g^(-1) but also excellent power-capability via facile Na^(+) diffusion and reversible structural change during charge/discharge.These findings suggest a novel strategy that can increase the activity of anionic redox by modulating the local environment around oxygen to develop high-energy-density cathode materials for NIBs.