Zro2-Modified Separator Integrated with Porous Ni-Based Electrode for High Current Density Alkaline Water Electrolysis

Abstract

Renewable alkaline water electrolysis (ALK) is widely regarded as a sustainable and dependable pathway for large-scale green hydrogen production. In this work, we fabricated the ZrO2-PESf composite separator and porous Ni-based electrode via the phase inversion tape casting process. The ZrO2-PESf composite separator exhibited remarkable thermal stability and good mechanical properties. Additionally, the separator exhibited remarkable hydrophilicity, and possessed a low areal resistance of 0.322 Ω cm-2. The homemade device based on the ZrO2-PESf composite separator and NP800 electrode achieved a high current density of 1.1 A cm-2 at 2 V in a 30 wt% KOH solution at 80 °C. Furthermore, the device demonstrated stable performance by maintaining a voltage of approximately 1.9 V with a current density of 0.8 A cm-2 for 150 hours. The ZrO2-PESf composite separator exhibited outstanding performance in suppressing gas crossover and demonstrated exceptional stability.

Keywords: ZrO2-modified separator, phase inversion tape casting, alkaline water electrolysis, high current density