Porosity-Zoned Porous-Transport Layer for Proton-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis by High-Velocity Flame Spraying
Bobzin K, Finger S, Zhao L, Heinemann H, Olesch E, Radermacher K, Pechmann S, Possart D, Christiansen SH, Hoffmeister D, Fritsch B, Thiele S, Hutzler A (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Journal
Abstract
The porous-transport layer (PTL) is a crucial component in proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE) enabling water and gas transport as well as electrically contacting the catalyst layer (CL). To reduce the overall costs of PTLs, a fabrication method by high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying is introduced. Free-standing PTLs are obtained via the application of a titanium coating onto a substrate and its subsequent separation and thermal treatment. The obtained PTLs feature two sides of different roughness and porosity as analyzed and visualized by X-ray microscopy. This way, the side with decreased porosity (21%) is intended to function as a microporous layer, improving the contact with the CL. The presented fabrication process promises decreased costs compared to vacuum plasma spraying, a simplified, chemical-free mechanical separation of the PTL from the substrate, and a high scale-up suitability. In the results, it is demonstrated that HVOF can produce titanium PTLs with low oxygen content. Additionally, PEMWE single-cell tests demonstrate that the sprayed PTLs perform on par with a commercially available PTL material.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ)
Germany (DE)
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen
Germany (DE)
Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme (IKTS)
Germany (DE)
Germany (DE)
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen
Germany (DE)
Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme (IKTS)
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Bobzin, K., Finger, S., Zhao, L., Heinemann, H., Olesch, E., Radermacher, K.,... Hutzler, A. (2025). Porosity-Zoned Porous-Transport Layer for Proton-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis by High-Velocity Flame Spraying. Advanced Engineering Materials. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202402462
MLA:
Bobzin, Kirsten, et al. "Porosity-Zoned Porous-Transport Layer for Proton-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis by High-Velocity Flame Spraying." Advanced Engineering Materials (2025).
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