French researchers examine water dynamics in CO2 electrolysis cells

In France, a recent study uses high resolution neutron imaging at the (Institut Laue-Langevin) ILL to examine water dynamics in a carbon dioxide electrolysis cells. Recently published in the journal ACS Energy Letters, the study has now been selected as research highlight in Nature Catalysis.

While several transformation routes are being explored, CO2 electrolysis targeting carbon monoxide as a reaction product is close to commercial viability, with state-of-the-art electrolysers reaching high performance. The so-called ‘zero-gap’ electrolysers with an anion-exchange membrane (AEM) is the cell setup closest to meeting commercial requirements. However, such devices still suffer from operational issues mainly due to the build-up of carbonate salt precipitates at the cathode and electrode flooding.

A recently published study examines the water transport in a CO2 electrolyser during operation.  ILL’s instrument NeXT was used to obtain high-resolution neutron images at a pixel size of 4.2 μm of the water content in the cell, coupling the radiographic data with the overall electrochemical performance. The influence of gas humidification was studied, and pulsed operation is compared with constant current operation in 100 hours long measurements.