Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers
Abstract Hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers (HEMELs) enable hydrogen production using low-cost, earth-abundant materials. Improving electrode fabrication is integral to enhancing device performance, and ionomer—responsible for transporting hydroxide and mechanically supporting the catalyst—is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Communications Materials |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00900-5 |
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| author | Abigayle Polsky Jacob Clary Alexandra M. Oliveira Teng Wang Derek Vigil-Fowler Lan Wang Yushan Yan |
| author_facet | Abigayle Polsky Jacob Clary Alexandra M. Oliveira Teng Wang Derek Vigil-Fowler Lan Wang Yushan Yan |
| author_sort | Abigayle Polsky |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers (HEMELs) enable hydrogen production using low-cost, earth-abundant materials. Improving electrode fabrication is integral to enhancing device performance, and ionomer—responsible for transporting hydroxide and mechanically supporting the catalyst—is a major component. Here, we use experiments and computation to study the effects of relative humidity (RH) during the drying process of poly(aryl piperidinium) ionomer films on HEMEL electrodes. Broadly, the drying environments determine the physical structure and electrochemical traits of the ionomer network. High RH drying yields a highly porous network with excessive water uptake, structural defects, washout, and 64% reduction in hydroxide conductivity. Extremely low RH drying produces an overly compact pore network that hinders hydroxide mobility. In contrast, moderately low RH drying (9% RH) creates an ionomer film with well-balanced traits: excellent mechanical stability and connectivity needed for catalyst retention and hydroxide transport, which improves HEMEL performance by 40% at 1.8 V compared to suboptimal RHs. This research advances HEMEL manufacturing by providing a simple, scalable, and low-cost approach to optimize electrode ionomer films. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7a90ffab067249cd8979402ffccc71d1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-4443 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-7a90ffab067249cd8979402ffccc71d12025-08-20T03:05:06ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Materials2662-44432025-08-01611910.1038/s43246-025-00900-5Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzersAbigayle Polsky0Jacob Clary1Alexandra M. Oliveira2Teng Wang3Derek Vigil-Fowler4Lan Wang5Yushan Yan6Center for Clean Hydrogen, University of DelawareMaterials, Chemical, and Computational Science Directorate, National Renewable Energy LaboratoryCenter for Clean Hydrogen, University of DelawareCenter for Clean Hydrogen, University of DelawareMaterials, Chemical, and Computational Science Directorate, National Renewable Energy LaboratoryCenter for Clean Hydrogen, University of DelawareCenter for Clean Hydrogen, University of DelawareAbstract Hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers (HEMELs) enable hydrogen production using low-cost, earth-abundant materials. Improving electrode fabrication is integral to enhancing device performance, and ionomer—responsible for transporting hydroxide and mechanically supporting the catalyst—is a major component. Here, we use experiments and computation to study the effects of relative humidity (RH) during the drying process of poly(aryl piperidinium) ionomer films on HEMEL electrodes. Broadly, the drying environments determine the physical structure and electrochemical traits of the ionomer network. High RH drying yields a highly porous network with excessive water uptake, structural defects, washout, and 64% reduction in hydroxide conductivity. Extremely low RH drying produces an overly compact pore network that hinders hydroxide mobility. In contrast, moderately low RH drying (9% RH) creates an ionomer film with well-balanced traits: excellent mechanical stability and connectivity needed for catalyst retention and hydroxide transport, which improves HEMEL performance by 40% at 1.8 V compared to suboptimal RHs. This research advances HEMEL manufacturing by providing a simple, scalable, and low-cost approach to optimize electrode ionomer films.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00900-5 |
| spellingShingle | Abigayle Polsky Jacob Clary Alexandra M. Oliveira Teng Wang Derek Vigil-Fowler Lan Wang Yushan Yan Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers Communications Materials |
| title | Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers |
| title_full | Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers |
| title_fullStr | Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers |
| title_short | Impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers |
| title_sort | impact of processing humidity on ionomer film structure and performance in hydroxide exchange membrane electrolyzers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00900-5 |
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