Membraneless Electrolyzer for Low-cost Hydrogen Production

A membraneless electrolyzer, as the name suggests, eliminates the requirement of the membrane, and a microchannel flow-based separation of the gas products is attained to obtain pure hydrogen. Unlike PEMWE, membraneless electrolyzers have fewer components consisting of a microchannel encompassing a pair of electrodes, thereby showcasing high resiliency and increased operational lifetime. This translates to an alleviation in the price of green hydrogen production and lower manufacturing cost of the membraneless electrolyzer compared to the membrane-based counterparts. Membraneless electrolyzers drastically lower the requirement of precious metals by incorporating a thin-film-based catalyst for the electrodes. Moreover, they are manufactured by additive manufacturing, streamlining the electrolyzers’ production indigenously and ensuring scalability. Membraneless operation allows flexibility in electrochemistry for hydrogen production, brine, or biomass electrolysis, which are lucrative owing to the co-production of valuable chemicals. Membraneless electrolyzers can be operated at high temperatures (80 – 90 ?C) without the risk of accelerated degradation. Membraneless electrolyzers are compact and modular, enabling mobility and implementation for on-site, off-grid hydrogen production. It can be interfaced with intermittent renewable energy infrastructure for green hydrogen production.

Faculty Supervisor:

Erik Kjeang

Student:

Partner:

I-INC Foundation for Business Development

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: