Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Langmuir. 2023 Apr 11;39(14):4993-5001. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03488. Epub 2023 Mar 29.
The green hydrogen economy is expected to play a crucial role in carbon neutrality, but industrial-scale water electrolysis requires improvements in efficiency, operation costs, and capital costs before broad deployment. Electrolysis operates at a high current density and involves the substantial formation of gaseous products from the electrode surfaces to the electrolyte, which may lead to additional resistance and a resulting loss of efficiency. A detailed clarification of the bubble departure phenomena against the electrode surface and the surrounding electrolytes is needed to further control bubbles in a water electrolyzer. This study clarifies how electrolyte properties affect the measured bubble detachment sizes from the comparisons with analytical expressions and dynamic simulations. Bubble behavior in various electrolyte solutions and operating conditions was described using various physical parameters. A quantitative relationship was then established to connect electrolyte properties and bubble departure diameters, which can help regulate the bubble management through electrolyte engineering.
绿色氢能经济预计将在碳中和方面发挥关键作用，但在广泛部署之前，工业规模的水电解需要提高效率、降低运营成本和资本成本。电解在高电流密度下运行，并且涉及从电极表面到电解质的气态产物的大量形成，这可能导致额外的阻力和效率损失。需要进一步澄清气泡在电极表面和周围电解质中的脱离现象，以更好地控制水电解器中的气泡。本研究通过与分析表达式和动态模拟的比较，澄清了电解质性质如何影响测量的气泡脱离尺寸。使用各种物理参数描述了各种电解质溶液和操作条件下的气泡行为。然后建立了定量关系来连接电解质性质和气泡脱离直径，这有助于通过电解质工程来调节气泡管理。
