A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis
Abstract Alkaline water electrolysis is one of the most prospective technologies for large-scale production of green hydrogen. Nevertheless, current porous membranes face the problem of weak ion transport or poor gas barrier performance. Here, we demonstrate a facile yet massive two-step casting and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60985-x |
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| author | Jian You Jinyu Lu Chuanli Liu Wei Wang Yongzhao Li Yuanzhong Gao Longmin Liu Xiangbo Luo Xiaojun Bao Huaiyin Chen Jianying Huang Yuekun Lai Meihua Wu Weilong Cai |
| author_facet | Jian You Jinyu Lu Chuanli Liu Wei Wang Yongzhao Li Yuanzhong Gao Longmin Liu Xiangbo Luo Xiaojun Bao Huaiyin Chen Jianying Huang Yuekun Lai Meihua Wu Weilong Cai |
| author_sort | Jian You |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Alkaline water electrolysis is one of the most prospective technologies for large-scale production of green hydrogen. Nevertheless, current porous membranes face the problem of weak ion transport or poor gas barrier performance. Here, we demonstrate a facile yet massive two-step casting and phase separation strategy to design a thin, asymmetric pore-structure modulated composite membrane for efficient, safe, and industrial-grade alkaline water electrolysis. The prepared composite membrane shows better electrolytic performance (1.71 V at 1 A cm−2) and stability (working for 6352 h). In addition, an industrial-grade electrolyzer equipped with composite membranes exhibits higher hydrogen production efficiency (1.03 Nm3·h−1), H2 purity (99.9%), and faster dynamic response (less than 20 min) compared to mainstream commercial membranes. Ultimately, we propose a semi-empirical model based on the operational characteristics of an electrolyzer equipped with composite membranes and predicting its matching behavior with dynamic renewable energy sources. This work explores the viability of manufacturing high-performance alkaline water electrolysis membranes for green hydrogen production under industrial conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e13084b3876346398c84599bfc45aa2f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-e13084b3876346398c84599bfc45aa2f2025-08-20T03:03:44ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-60985-xA rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysisJian You0Jinyu Lu1Chuanli Liu2Wei Wang3Yongzhao Li4Yuanzhong Gao5Longmin Liu6Xiangbo Luo7Xiaojun Bao8Huaiyin Chen9Jianying Huang10Yuekun Lai11Meihua Wu12Weilong Cai13College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityQingyuan Innovation LaboratoryCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityQingyuan Innovation LaboratoryCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityQingyuan Innovation LaboratoryCollege of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityAbstract Alkaline water electrolysis is one of the most prospective technologies for large-scale production of green hydrogen. Nevertheless, current porous membranes face the problem of weak ion transport or poor gas barrier performance. Here, we demonstrate a facile yet massive two-step casting and phase separation strategy to design a thin, asymmetric pore-structure modulated composite membrane for efficient, safe, and industrial-grade alkaline water electrolysis. The prepared composite membrane shows better electrolytic performance (1.71 V at 1 A cm−2) and stability (working for 6352 h). In addition, an industrial-grade electrolyzer equipped with composite membranes exhibits higher hydrogen production efficiency (1.03 Nm3·h−1), H2 purity (99.9%), and faster dynamic response (less than 20 min) compared to mainstream commercial membranes. Ultimately, we propose a semi-empirical model based on the operational characteristics of an electrolyzer equipped with composite membranes and predicting its matching behavior with dynamic renewable energy sources. This work explores the viability of manufacturing high-performance alkaline water electrolysis membranes for green hydrogen production under industrial conditions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60985-x |
| spellingShingle | Jian You Jinyu Lu Chuanli Liu Wei Wang Yongzhao Li Yuanzhong Gao Longmin Liu Xiangbo Luo Xiaojun Bao Huaiyin Chen Jianying Huang Yuekun Lai Meihua Wu Weilong Cai A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis Nature Communications |
| title | A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis |
| title_full | A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis |
| title_fullStr | A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis |
| title_short | A rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis |
| title_sort | rationally thin composite membrane with differentiated pore structure for industrial scale alkaline water electrolysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60985-x |
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