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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Self-powered dual-electrode hydrogen production using a composite ion exchange membrane
Haoyu Yin1,2,3, Chenghan Xie4, Yunbo Dai1,2,3
1State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Abstract:
The electro-oxidation of formaldehyde at low potential with anodic hydrogen evolution offers an energy-saving way for hydrogen production. Coupling this reaction in an acidic catholyte with an alkaline anolyte within an acid-alkali hybrid electrochemical system enables self-powered hydrogen production with electricity generation. However, the performance of such systems is constrained by the membrane: conventional forward-bias bipolar membranes suffer from high ohmic resistance due to the delamination, while monopolar ion exchange membranes lead to undesirable acid-alkali neutralization. To address these limitations, we design a composite ion exchange membrane, composed of a through-pore anion exchange membrane and a cation exchange membrane. Employing this membrane, the resulting system achieves a Faradaic efficiency for hydrogen of 198 ± 3 % and outputs a peak power density of 142 mW cm-2. A numerical model demonstrates that the through-pore anion exchange membrane effectively regulates charge carrier transport, yielding low resistance and improved acid-alkali utilization efficiency. Here, we provide a promising pathway for sustainable hydrogen production by enabling the efficient conversion of acid-alkali chemical energy into electricity.
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