Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) has great potential to be established as a high-performance and low-capital cost technology for hydrogen production. High current densities can be achieved with a non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) catalyst. However, the harsh operation conditions require stable cell components. Here, we report on the use of a highly stable and ion conductive poly(fluorene alkylene) membrane (PdF–TMA) tethered with trimethylammonium cations via phenylpropyl side chains for AEMWE cells operating with 2 M aqueous KOH. The ether-free PdF–TMA polymer is efficiently prepared by polyhydroxyalkylation to reach a molecular weight of 236 kDa, a high thermal stability, and an ion-exchange capacity of 2.14 mequiv. g −1 (OH − form). Using commercial electrodes of NiFe 2 O 4 (anode) and RANEY® nickel (cathode) and PdF–TMA as an AEM, the output current reached 1 A cm −2 at voltages below 1.9 V at 60 °C. Also, PdF–TMA outperformed AEMION™ in terms of membrane resistance by almost 30% and, after 100 h at 0.5 A cm −2 , did not reveal any loss of conductivity, in contrast to AEMION™. Furthermore, both membranes were analysed by 1 H NMR spectroscopy after AEMWE tests and the PdF–TMA proved very stable even at 80 °C.

Sodium chlorate (NaClO3) is primarily used for producing chlorine dioxide, an environmentally friendly bleaching agent for pulp. Currently, dichromate is used as an electrolyte additive in the chlorate process where it has several functions, but due to health and environmental risks associated with chromate, there is a need for a less toxic alternative. In the present study, we prepared a membrane-coated cathode as a substitute for chromium(VI), to keep a high current efficiency in chlorate electrolysis. This electrode employed an industrially relevant electrode with active catalysts as the substrate and a thin layer of ion exchange polymer as the coating. The coating effectively blocked anions such as ClO− and ClO3− from reaching the cathode, thereby suppressing cathodic side reactions. We conducted a series of electrochemical characterizations on the membrane-coated cathodes with varying coating thickness and tested them in a pilot-scale setup for efficiency and stability under industrial testing conditions.

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is a promising and potentially low-cost technology for producing green hydrogen, but a novel manufacturing technique with rational design of the electrodes is essential to improve the performance and stability. In this work, we investigate the effect of electrode structure on activity and the stability of AEMWEs by fabricating membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). For the first time, the decal transfer method with platinum-group-metal-free (PGM-free) catalyst was successfully used in AEMWEs. With this method, deposition of a compact catalyst layer (CL) on the membrane was achieved without damaging neither the CL nor the membrane. The MEAs were designed for AEMWE using 1 M KOH as the electrolyte and the ionomer content was optimized for both cathode and anode. In the anode, a low ionomer loading improved activity and ionic conductivity, however, a higher ionomer content was beneficial for the cathode. Furthermore, the type of ionomer on the anode side has shown to be the major reason of loss of performance over time. An ionomer with low (1.4–1.7 meq g−1) Ion Exchange Capacity (IEC) and Nafion™ ionomer greatly improved the stability.

Electrochemical conversion of glycerol offers a promising route to synthesize value-added glycerol oxidation products (GOPs) from an abundant biomass-based resource. While noble metals provide a low overpotential for the glycerol electrooxidation reaction (GEOR) and high selectivity toward three-carbon (C3) GOPs, their efficiency and cost can be improved by incorporating non-noble metals. Here, we introduce an effective strategy to enhance the performance of Pd nanoparticles for the GEOR by alloying them with Ni. The resulting PdNi nanoparticles show a significant increase in both specific activity (by almost 60%) and mass activity (by almost 35%) during the GEOR at 40 °C. Additionally, they exhibit higher resistance to deactivation compared to pure Pd. Analysis of the GOPs reveals that the addition of Ni into Pd does not compromise the selectivity, with glycerate remaining at around 60% of the product fraction and the other major product being lactate at around 30%. Density functional theory calculations confirm the reaction pathways and the basis for the higher activity of PdNi. This study demonstrates a significant increase in the GEOR catalytic performance while maintaining the selectivity for C3 GOPs, using a more cost-effective nanocatalyst.

BACKGROUND: Sodium chlorate (NaClO3) is extensively used in the paper industry, but its production uses strictly regulated highly toxic Na2Cr2O7 to reach high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) Faradaic efficiencies. It is therefore important to find alternatives either to replace Na2Cr2O7 or reduce its concentration.

RESULTS: The Na2Cr2O7 concentration can be significantly reduced by using Na2MoO4 as an electrolyte co-additive. Na2MoO4 in the millimolar range shifts the platinum cathode potential to less negative values due to an activating effect of cathodically deposited Mo species. It also acts as a stabilizer of the electrodeposited chromium hydroxide but has a minor effect on the HER Faradaic efficiency. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show cathodic deposition of molybdenum of different oxidation states, depending on deposition conditions. Once Na2Cr2O7 was present, molybdenum was not detected by XPS, as it is likely that only trace levels were deposited. Using electrochemical measurements and mass spectrometry we quantitatively monitored H2 and O2 production rates. The results indicate that 3 μmol L−1 Na2Cr2O7 (contrary to current industrial 10–30 mmol L−1) is sufficient to enhance the HER Faradaic efficiency on platinum by 15%, and by co-adding 10 mmol L−1 Na2MoO4 the cathode is activated while avoiding detrimental O2 generation from chemical and electrochemical reactions. Higher concentrations of Na2MoO4 led to increased oxygen production.

CONCLUSION: Careful tuning of the molybdate concentration can enhance performance of the chlorate process using chromate in the micromolar range. These insights could be also exploited in the efficient hydrogen generation by photocatalytic water splitting and in the remediation of industrial wastewater. 

The increase in hydrogen production to support the energy transition in different sectors, such as the steel industry, leads to the utilization of large scale electrolyzers. These electrolyzers have the ability to become a fundamental tool for grid stability providing grid services, especially frequency regulation, for power grids with a high share of renewable energy sources. Alkaline electrolyzers (AELs) have low cost and long lifetime, but their slow dynamics make them unsuitable for fast frequency regulation, especially in case of contingencies. Proton Exchange Membrane electrolyzers (PEMELs) have fast dynamic response to provide grid services, but they have higher costs. This paper proposes a dynamic power allocation control strategy for hybrid electrolyzer systems to provide frequency regulation with reduced cost, making use of advantages of AELs and PEMELs. Simulations and experiments are conducted to verify the proposed control strategy.

Glycerol is a renewable chemical that has become widely available and inexpensive owing to the increased production of biodiesel. Noble metal materials are effective catalysts for the production of hydrogen and value-added products through the electrooxidation of glycerol. In this study, we developed three platinum systems with distinct pore mesostructures, e.g., hierarchical pores (HP), cubic pores (CP) and linear pores (LP), all with high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). The ECSA-normalized GEOR catalytic activity of the systems follows HPC > LPC > CPC > commercial Pt/C. Regarding the oxidation products, we observe glyceric acid as the main three-carbon product (C3), with oxalic acids as the main two-carbon oxidation product. DFT-based theoretical calculations support the glyceraldehyde route going through tartronic acid towards oxalic acid and also help in understanding why the dihydroxyacetone (DHA) route is active despite the absence of DHA amongst the observed oxidation products.

Pd octahedral, rhombic dodecahedral, and cubic nanoparticles (PdOCTA, PdRD, and PdCUBE NPs) were synthesized, characterized, and studied as catalysts for the glycerol electrooxidation reaction (GEOR) in a strongly alkaline medium at 20 and 60 °C. The highest mass activity of 0.050 and 0.183 mA/μgPd was observed on PdOCTA at 20 and 60 °C, respectively, whereas PdCUBE exhibited the highest specific activity of 1.49 and 12.84 mA/cmPd2, respectively. The GEOR products were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and their selectivity and overall glycerol conversion were evaluated at 0.86 V vs RHE. The selectivity toward the three-carbon chain (C3) GEOR products was similar for the different types of catalysts, with PdOCTA and PdCUBE NPs achieving more than 50% selectivity at 20 °C and more than 60% at 60 °C. Glycerate was the overall dominant product for all catalysts, with a selectivity of up to 42%. The glycerol conversion was found to be highest for PdOCTA─21% at 20 °C and 82% at 60 °C, while PdRD was the least active and showed less than 3% conversion at 20 °C and 35% at 60 °C. Based on the GEOR product distribution, a reaction mechanism was proposed.

Energy Crisis! Electricity Price drama! The threat of global energy poverty! Media are generous with spectacular titles. Yes, energy is important, and yes, nearly all societal challenges are connected to how we convert, distribute and use energy. Therefore, the KTH Energy Platform and KTH Library presented an exhibition with the theme Towards the energy of the future – the invisible revolution behind the electrical socket.

The exhibition displayed showcase illustrations from the book made by Lotta Waesterberg Tomasson, as well as books related to energy and electricity from the KTH Library's collections. In parallell with the exhibition, a series of live popular science lunch seminars with presentations of selected chapters of the book took place. As part of the exhibition, students from KTH's Electrical Engineering program also showcased exciting projects that connect to the anthology’s contents, made with materials and equipment from the student-driven ELAB and “Studentverkstan”. Visitors were also invited to share their reflections and ideas on energy.