You Jian, Lu Jinyu, Liu Chuanli, Wang Wei, Li Yongzhao, Gao Yuanzhong, Liu Longmin, Luo Xiangbo, Bao Xiaojun, Chen Huaiyin, Huang Jianying, Lai Yuekun, Wu Meihua, Cai Weilong
College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China.
Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory, Quanzhou, 362801, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 1;16(1):5981. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60985-x.
Alkaline water electrolysis is one of the most prospective technologies for large-scale production of green hydrogen. Nevertheless, current porous membranes face the problem of weak ion transport or poor gas barrier performance. Here, we demonstrate a facile yet massive two-step casting and phase separation strategy to design a thin, asymmetric pore-structure modulated composite membrane for efficient, safe, and industrial-grade alkaline water electrolysis. The prepared composite membrane shows better electrolytic performance (1.71 V at 1 A cm) and stability (working for 6352 h). In addition, an industrial-grade electrolyzer equipped with composite membranes exhibits higher hydrogen production efficiency (1.03 Nm·h), H purity (99.9%), and faster dynamic response (less than 20 min) compared to mainstream commercial membranes. Ultimately, we propose a semi-empirical model based on the operational characteristics of an electrolyzer equipped with composite membranes and predicting its matching behavior with dynamic renewable energy sources. This work explores the viability of manufacturing high-performance alkaline water electrolysis membranes for green hydrogen production under industrial conditions.
碱性水电解是大规模生产绿色氢气最具前景的技术之一。然而，目前的多孔膜面临离子传输能力弱或气体阻隔性能差的问题。在此，我们展示了一种简便且大规模的两步浇铸和相分离策略，以设计一种用于高效、安全和工业级碱性水电解的薄型、不对称孔结构调制复合膜。所制备的复合膜表现出更好的电解性能（1 A/cm² 时为1.71 V）和稳定性（工作6352小时）。此外，与主流商业膜相比，配备复合膜的工业级电解槽具有更高的产氢效率（1.03 Nm³/h）、氢气纯度（99.9%）和更快的动态响应（小于20分钟）。最终，我们基于配备复合膜的电解槽的运行特性提出了一个半经验模型，并预测其与动态可再生能源的匹配行为。这项工作探索了在工业条件下制造用于绿色氢气生产的高性能碱性水电解膜的可行性。
