Park Seong Hyun, Park Young Je, Jang Seungsoo, Lee Pilyoung, Yoon Soobin, Park Young-June, Jung Chi-Young, Lee Kang Taek
Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Center, Hydrogen Energy Institute, Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), Jeollabuk-do, 56332, Republic of Korea.
Nanomicro Lett. 2025 Jun 30;17(1):316. doi: 10.1007/s40820-025-01831-z.
The commercialization of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) for green hydrogen production hinges on the development of low-cost, high-performance titanium porous transport layers (PTLs). This study introduces a triple-layer Ti-PTL with a graded porous structure and a 75% ultra-high porosity backing layer, fabricated through tape casting and roll calendering. This triple-layer PTL, composed of a microporous layer, an interlayer, and a highly porous backing layer, enhances catalyst utilization, mechanical integrity, and mass transport. Digital twin technology using X-ray revealed increased contact area and triple-phase boundary at the interface with the catalyst layer, significantly improving oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. Numerical simulations demonstrated that the strategically designed porous structure of the triple-layer PTL facilitates efficient oxygen transport, mitigates oxygen accumulation, and improves reactant accessibility. Electrochemical evaluations showed improved performance, achieving 127 mV reduction in voltage at 2 A cm compared to a commercial PTL, highlighting its potential to enhance PEMWE efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
用于绿色制氢的质子交换膜水电解（PEMWE）商业化取决于低成本、高性能钛多孔传输层（PTL）的开发。本研究介绍了一种具有梯度多孔结构和75%超高孔隙率背衬层的三层钛PTL，通过流延成型和轧光工艺制备而成。这种由微孔层、中间层和高孔隙率背衬层组成的三层PTL提高了催化剂利用率、机械完整性和传质性能。利用X射线的数字孪生技术显示，与催化剂层界面处的接触面积和三相边界增加，显著改善了析氧反应动力学。数值模拟表明，三层PTL经过策略性设计的多孔结构有助于高效的氧气传输，减轻氧气积累，并提高反应物的可达性。电化学评估显示性能得到改善，与商用PTL相比，在2 A/cm²时电压降低了127 mV，突出了其提高PEMWE效率和成本效益的潜力。
