Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
A clean and membrane-free chlor-alkali process with decoupled Cl2 and H2/NaOH production
Mengyan Hou1, Long Chen1, Zhaowei Guo1
1Department of Chemistry and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Institute of New Energy, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Fudan University, 200433, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Existing chlor-alkali processes generally use asbestos, mercury or fluorine-containing ion-exchange membranes to separate the simultaneous chlorine production on the anode and hydrogen production on the cathode, and form sodium hydroxide in the electrolyte. Here, using the Na+ de-intercalation/intercalation of a Na0.44MnO2 electrode as a redox mediator, we decouple the chlor-alkali process into two independent steps: a H2 production step with the NaOH formation in the electrolyte and a Cl2 production step. The first step involves a cathodic H2 evolution reaction (H2O → H2) and an anodic Na+ de-intercalation reaction (Na0.44MnO2 → Na0.44-xMnO2), during which NaOH is produced in the electrolyte solution. The second step depends on a cathodic Na+ intercalation reaction (Na0.44-xMnO2 → Na0.44MnO2) and an anodic Cl2 production (Cl → Cl2). The cycle of the two steps provides a membrane-free process, which is potentially a promising direction for developing clean chlor-alkali technology.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Alkali Metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling
A broadband decoupling technique is used to simplify these complex, sometimes overlapping, signals. Broadband decoupling relies on a...
Fast Decoupled and DC Powerflow
Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...
Alkali Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
Acid Suppressive Drugs for Peptic Ulcer Disease: Histamine H2-Receptor Antagonists

