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Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Ordered Membrane Electrode Assembly with Drastically Enhanced Proton and Mass Transport for Proton Exchange Membrane
Bin Tian1,2, Yali Li1, Yiyang Liu3
1Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China.
Abstract:
In this work, an ordered membrane electrode assembly (MEA) based on a cone Nafion array with gradient Nafion distribution, tightly bonded catalytic layer/proton exchange membrane (CL/PEM) interface, and abundant vertical channels has been engineered by an anodic aluminum oxide template and magnetron sputtering method. Benefiting from a highly efficient CL/PEM interface, plentiful proton transfer highways, and rapid oxygen bubble release, this ordered MEA achieves an ultralow Ir loading of 20.0 μg cm-2 and a high electrochemical active area by 8.7 times compared to traditional MEA with Ir loading of 1.0 mg cm-2. It yields a mass activity of 168 000 mA mgIr-1 cm-2 at 2.0 V, which is superior to most reported PEM electrolyzers. Notably, this ordered MEA maintains excellent durability at a current density of 500 mA cm-2. This work opens a simple, cost-effective, and scalable route to design ordered MEAs for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis.
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