Publication

Sustainable Energy Engineering Lab

Conference

Conference

Polyphenylene sulfide 강화 개질을 통한 가압 알칼리 수전해용 低가스 투과성 高전도성 다공성 분리막 개발
Author
조원철, 이재훈, 조현석, 김민중, 이창수, 김상경, 김창희
Presenter
조원철
Conference
한국수소및신에너지학회 2021년 춘계 학술대회
Date
2021.05.27
Year
2021
Alkaline water electrolyzer (AWE) can be an economical choice to achieve large-scale hydrogen production due to its high maturity and low material cost. Pressurized electrolyzers combined with renewable energy sources are essential for power to gas applications. However, the use of porous separators in AWE limits high-pressure operation due to gas crossover, which is far less than that of PEM electrolysis. Here, we propose a modified polyphenylene sulfide (mPPS)-incorporated separator with gas cross-resistance and high ionic conductivity. The mPPS showed improved tensile strength and the formation of hydrogen bonds with polymer binders, leading to the denser morphology. Electrolytic cells with advanced electrodes achieve 85% efficiency (1.74V) at a high current density of 1A cm–2 over 300 hours of operation. The anode hydrogen content is only 0.1% at a differential pressure of 0.3 bar, while that of the Zirfon separator is above 2%. The mPPS-containing separator allows pressurized AWE to operate more safely and dynamically over a wider load range.