Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions
Abstract Electrolytically generated gas bubbles can significantly hamper the overall electrolysis efficiency. Therefore it is crucial to understand their dynamics in order to optimise water electrolyzer systems. Herein, we elucidate a distinct transport mechanism whereby electrolyte droplets are spr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59762-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850273431394713600 |
|---|---|
| author | Aleksandr Bashkatov Florian Bürkle Çayan Demirkır Wei Ding Vatsal Sanjay Alexander Babich Xuegeng Yang Gerd Mutschke Jürgen Czarske Detlef Lohse Dominik Krug Lars Büttner Kerstin Eckert |
| author_facet | Aleksandr Bashkatov Florian Bürkle Çayan Demirkır Wei Ding Vatsal Sanjay Alexander Babich Xuegeng Yang Gerd Mutschke Jürgen Czarske Detlef Lohse Dominik Krug Lars Büttner Kerstin Eckert |
| author_sort | Aleksandr Bashkatov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Electrolytically generated gas bubbles can significantly hamper the overall electrolysis efficiency. Therefore it is crucial to understand their dynamics in order to optimise water electrolyzer systems. Herein, we elucidate a distinct transport mechanism whereby electrolyte droplets are sprayed into H2 bubbles. These droplets arise from the fragmentation of the Worthington jet, which is engendered by the coalescence with microbubbles. The robustness of this phenomenon is corroborated under both normal and microgravity conditions. Reminiscent of bursting bubbles on a liquid-gas interface, electrolyte spraying results in a flow inside the bubble. This flow couples, in an intriguing way, with the thermocapillary convection at the bubble’s surface, clearly underlining the high interfacial mobility. In the case of electrode-attached bubbles, the sprayed droplets form electrolyte puddles affecting the dynamics near the three-phase contact line and favoring bubble detachment from the electrode. The results of this work unravel important insights into the physico-chemical aspects of electrolytic gas bubbles, integral for optimizing gas-evolving electrochemical systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-79245621184c40449d8cede3772cd87d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-79245621184c40449d8cede3772cd87d2025-08-20T01:51:30ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-59762-7Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditionsAleksandr Bashkatov0Florian Bürkle1Çayan Demirkır2Wei Ding3Vatsal Sanjay4Alexander Babich5Xuegeng Yang6Gerd Mutschke7Jürgen Czarske8Detlef Lohse9Dominik Krug10Lars Büttner11Kerstin Eckert12Institute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfLaboratory for Measurement and Sensor System Techniques, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität DresdenPhysics of Fluids Group, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of TwenteInstitute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfPhysics of Fluids Group, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of TwenteInstitute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfInstitute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfInstitute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfLaboratory for Measurement and Sensor System Techniques, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität DresdenPhysics of Fluids Group, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of TwentePhysics of Fluids Group, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of TwenteLaboratory for Measurement and Sensor System Techniques, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität DresdenInstitute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfAbstract Electrolytically generated gas bubbles can significantly hamper the overall electrolysis efficiency. Therefore it is crucial to understand their dynamics in order to optimise water electrolyzer systems. Herein, we elucidate a distinct transport mechanism whereby electrolyte droplets are sprayed into H2 bubbles. These droplets arise from the fragmentation of the Worthington jet, which is engendered by the coalescence with microbubbles. The robustness of this phenomenon is corroborated under both normal and microgravity conditions. Reminiscent of bursting bubbles on a liquid-gas interface, electrolyte spraying results in a flow inside the bubble. This flow couples, in an intriguing way, with the thermocapillary convection at the bubble’s surface, clearly underlining the high interfacial mobility. In the case of electrode-attached bubbles, the sprayed droplets form electrolyte puddles affecting the dynamics near the three-phase contact line and favoring bubble detachment from the electrode. The results of this work unravel important insights into the physico-chemical aspects of electrolytic gas bubbles, integral for optimizing gas-evolving electrochemical systems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59762-7 |
| spellingShingle | Aleksandr Bashkatov Florian Bürkle Çayan Demirkır Wei Ding Vatsal Sanjay Alexander Babich Xuegeng Yang Gerd Mutschke Jürgen Czarske Detlef Lohse Dominik Krug Lars Büttner Kerstin Eckert Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions Nature Communications |
| title | Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions |
| title_full | Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions |
| title_fullStr | Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions |
| title_short | Electrolyte droplet spraying in H2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions |
| title_sort | electrolyte droplet spraying in h2 bubbles during water electrolysis under normal and microgravity conditions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59762-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aleksandrbashkatov electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT florianburkle electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT cayandemirkır electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT weiding electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT vatsalsanjay electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT alexanderbabich electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT xuegengyang electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT gerdmutschke electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT jurgenczarske electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT detleflohse electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT dominikkrug electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT larsbuttner electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions AT kerstineckert electrolytedropletsprayinginh2bubblesduringwaterelectrolysisundernormalandmicrogravityconditions |