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Updated: Oct 1, 2025

Ion-Exchange Membranes for the Fabrication of Reverse Electrodialysis Device
Published on: July 20, 2021
What is Next in Anion-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers? Bottlenecks, Benefits, and Future
Carlo Santoro1, Alessandro Lavacchi2, Piercarlo Mustarelli1
1Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, U5, Via Cozzi 5, 20125, Milano, Italy.
Abstract:
As highlighted by the recent roadmaps from the European Union and the United States, water electrolysis is the most valuable high-intensity technology for producing green hydrogen. Currently, two commercial low-temperature water electrolyzer technologies exist: alkaline water electrolyzer (A-WE) and proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEM-WE). However, both have major drawbacks. A-WE shows low productivity and efficiency, while PEM-WE uses a significant amount of critical raw materials. Lately, the use of anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEM-WE) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of the current commercial systems. AEM-WE could become the cornerstone to achieve an intense, safe, and resilient green hydrogen production to fulfill the hydrogen targets to achieve the 2050 decarbonization goals. Here, the status of AEM-WE development is discussed, with a focus on the most critical aspects for research and highlighting the potential routes for overcoming the remaining issues. The Review closes with the future perspective on the AEM-WE research indicating the targets to be achieved.
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