Electrochemical Interfaces for Green Hydrogen Production

Water electrolysis has attracted attention as a sustainable and clean means for the production of hydrogen. Research focus is shifting from proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis towards anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis. However, there is a gap between studies of electrode materials in aqueous electrolytes and real devices utilizing ion conducting membranes. The question arises whether studies of metal/liquid interfaces portray in a realistic manner the structure, reaction conditions and kinetics at real metal/polymer electrolyte interfaces.
This project aims to understand changes in the interfacial structure and composition and the influence on the rates of electrocatalytic reactions, for the purpose of green electrolytic hydrogen production. Small molecule analogues of an emerging AEM based on polyimidazoliums will be designed and will be used to prepare electrolyte solutions. These electrolyte solutions will enable the study of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics that occurs at the cathode of an electrolyzer in alkaline media on Ni electrodes. The originality and the novelty of the project is (i) targeted design of molecules to mimic the metal/AEM interface, (ii) systematic evolution of metal/liquid to metal/AEM interface, (iii) decoupling pH and cation effects.

Faculty Supervisor:

Steven Holdcroft

Student:

Partner:

Université de Strasbourg

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: