Efficient and Durable Pressurised Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyser with Novel Triple-Boundary and Stack Designs

ongoing

The Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyser (AEMEL) demonstrates potential advantages compared with the more established Alkaline Electrolyser and Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyser in easing the cell design, and lowering capital and operating expenditures. Nevertheless, AEMEL faces challenges due to its poor durability and low efficiency, which demands further research and innovation in Membrane-Electrode-Assembly (MEA) optimisation and cell design. Furthermore, coupling the AEMEL with industry requires another technological challenge in producing direct pressurised hydrogen to the end user. Taking the aforementioned challenges into consideration, ENDURION’s main objective is to develop an efficient, durable, low-cost pressurised AEMEL through the synergistic approach of MEA materials development and novel cell design employing exclusively earth-abundant materials and up-scalable processing. Learning from the previous progress of main EU projects on AEMEL, ENDURION addresses the AEMEL challenges through integrating recent advances in materials science, modern characterisations and processing tools, data-driven optimisation through machine learning, internal and external AEMEL components designed for electrochemical compression. Systematic works on novel materials development of sustainable porous transport layer, CRM-free catalysts, ionic liquid co-catalysts and environmentally benign bioresource membrane, along with novel up-scalable AEMEL cell and stack design will be the main tasks. ENDURION is expected to demonstrate an innovative pressurised AEMEL with a 30 % improved efficiency and 30 % more durable, at H2 production cost reaches EUR 450 /kg H2 It is also projected that ENDURION’s outcomes in the long run will contribute to an increased market share of AEMEL for the production of green hydrogen, reduced global carbon emission, a reduction of the European dependency on critical raw materials.