Swiss researchers lead on developing better materials for water electrolysis
In Switzerland, green hydrogen – produced from water using renewable energy – is significantly more expensive than the conventional production of hydrogen from fossil sources. Empa researchers and their partners are developing materials for water electrolysis that are not only efficient and more cost-effective but can also be scaled up to an industrial level.
In a project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), Empa researchers from the Materials for Energy Conversion laboratory want to change this. The materials used in electrolysers are one of the cost drivers in electrolysis. Together with researchers from the French research institutes Institute of Corrosion in Brest and LEMTA in Nancy, Empa researchers are working on more affordable alternatives for two key components of electrolysis devices.
The researchers are focusing on proton-exchange membrane water electrolysis, or PEMWE for short. PEMWE electrolysers are efficient and compatible with the energy fluctuations that can be expected from renewable sources. However, the environment inside the electrolyser is corrosive. In the core of the electrolyser, steel simply dissolves “like sugar in a cup of tea”, says Empa researcher Konstantin Egorov. And even parts that do not come into contact with the highly acidic core corrode. Even minor quantities of metals dissolved in the ultra-pure water flowing into the device in order to be electrolyzed impair its performance and durability.
Category: Research
