Poly(pentafluorstyrene) based ionomers for electrochemical hydrogen pumps I – How electrode properties affect the performance

Braig M, Cho H, Marchfelder C, Atanasov V, Zeis R (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Elsevier

Book Volume: 174

Article Number: 151219

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.151219

Abstract

Electrochemical hydrogen pumps (EHPs) are a promising technology for isolating H2 from gas mixtures. This work implements novel proton-conducting binders into gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) and investigates full-cell EHPs with a phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole membrane. The morphological GDE properties are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and argon gas sorption, revealing an extremely high catalyst layer porosity with phosphonated poly(pentafluorstyrene) (PWN70) ionomer. Adding the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 to the catalyst ink significantly improves the distribution of poly(pentafluorstyrene)-imidazole (PPFSt-Imi) binder, increasing electrode porosity and cell performance. Furthermore, the hydrophobicity of all catalyst layers is probed by dynamic vapor sorption. At 200 °C, the EHPs demonstrate 99.98 % H2 purity and 100 % H2 recovery from a reformate gas mix at 95 % power efficiency. A durability test at 1.6 A cm−2 proves stable electrode operation, highlighting the suitability of the employed binders for EHPs.

Authors with CRIS profile

Michael Braig Professur für Elektrische Wasserstoffsysteme Carla Marchfelder Professur für Elektrische Wasserstoffsysteme Roswitha Zeis Professur für Elektrische Wasserstoffsysteme

Involved external institutions

Universität Stuttgart DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Braig, M., Cho, H., Marchfelder, C., Atanasov, V., & Zeis, R. (2025). Poly(pentafluorstyrene) based ionomers for electrochemical hydrogen pumps I – How electrode properties affect the performance. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.151219

MLA:

Braig, Michael, et al. "Poly(pentafluorstyrene) based ionomers for electrochemical hydrogen pumps I – How electrode properties affect the performance." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 174 (2025).

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