Abstract:
Ionic interactions in perfluorosulfonic acid membranes are evaluated towards their impact on membrane resistance and cell potential in PEM water electrolysis. Cobalt polyoxometalates, an iridium alternative anode-side catalyst material, are found to decompose in a PFSA-based membrane electrode assembly. Furthermore, proton-metal-ion exchange is employed as a lever to tune membrane properties in water electrolysis and the influence of electrolyte usage on membrane resistance is quantified for CO2 electrolysis.