Researcher(s)
- Mohamadou Coulibaly, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Yushan Yan, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
Abstract
Hydroxide exchange membrane water electrolyzers are a promising technology for the production of green hydrogen; however, these devices have yet to achieve the performance and durability necessary to make green hydrogen financially viable. Improvements in catalyst and membrane materials continue to be well investigated; however, the influence of some “non-chemical” practices (e.g., compression force during assembly) remain under explored.
Assembly of these devices involves the compression of electrode and membrane materials in a “sandwich” configuration. Others have indicated that the extent of compression can influence performance and durability1. The desired compression is achieved by selecting a set of gaskets which are assumed to be incompressible; however, if this assumption fails under high compression forces and/or over long time scales (i.e., polymer creep), the electrolyzer may become over-compressed and experience a performance and/or durability loss. Fluorinated ethylene propylene is a common material used for gasketing of hydroxide exchange membrane water electrolyzers at the laboratory scale. Herein we assess the validity of this assumption in a modified electrolyzer experimental setup, wherein we control the compression force of the cell during operation.
- Amirsalehi, M., Mosali, V. S. S., Al-Murisi, M., Bashiri, S., Gopi, H., Satjaritanun, P., Britton, B., Swider-Lyons, K., and Mustain, W. E. (2026). Beyond Catalyst and Membranes: Using Cell Assembly and Operating Strategies to Significantly Improve the Performance of AEM Electrolyzers. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 173(5), 054502. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ae4929.