In Search of Lost Iridium: Quantification of Anode Catalyst Layer Dissolution in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers

Milosevic M, Böhm T, Körner A, Bierling M, Winkelmann L, Ehelebe K, Hutzler A, Suermann M, Thiele S, Cherevko S (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

ACS Energy Letters American Chemical Society

Pages Range: 2682-2688

DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.3c00193

Abstract

Understanding catalyst dissolution pathways in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers is paramount for developing mitigation strategies aiming toward higher durability and lower catalyst loadings. To this end, Ir dissolution has been extensively studied using aqueous model systems but not in real devices. Aiming to bridge this knowledge gap, we use a metal-free water electrolysis setup to determine the mass balance of the dissolved Ir in an electrolyzer when applying a protocol mimicking intermittent operation. We find that the main Ir sinks are the cathode catalyst layer and the membrane, while Ir dissolution into the water lines is significantly lower. Although reproducible estimation of Ir present in the membrane is challenging, quantification of Ir within the cathode is reliable and efficient. This new finding implies that tracking Ir present in the cathode can be used to estimate anode catalyst stability, thus accelerating catalyst development and operational parameters optimization.

Authors with CRIS profile

Maja Milosevic Lehrstuhl für Elektrokatalyse (HIERN) Andreas Körner Lehrstuhl für Elektrokatalyse (HIERN) Markus Bierling Lehrstuhl für Electrocatalytic Interface Engineering (HIERN) Leonard Winkelmann Lehrstuhl für Electrocatalytic Interface Engineering (HIERN) Simon Thiele Lehrstuhl für Electrocatalytic Interface Engineering (HIERN)

Involved external institutions

Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Milosevic, M., Böhm, T., Körner, A., Bierling, M., Winkelmann, L., Ehelebe, K.,... Cherevko, S. (2023). In Search of Lost Iridium: Quantification of Anode Catalyst Layer Dissolution in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers. ACS Energy Letters, 2682-2688. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c00193

MLA:

Milosevic, Maja, et al. "In Search of Lost Iridium: Quantification of Anode Catalyst Layer Dissolution in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers." ACS Energy Letters (2023): 2682-2688.

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