High-Performance, Long-Lifetime Catalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis - Topic 17c

Hydrogen production for mobility and energy storage from proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis is attractive due to its efficiency, ability to quickly cycle up and down, and deliver hydrogen with high and differential pressure. However, capital costs are high due to expensive materials, especially the membrane and catalyst. Though membrane costs are predicted to decrease, precious metal catalysts costs will come to control capital costs as this technology matures. Decreasing the precious metal requirement for PEM electrolysis is therefore vital for the wide spread use of this technology. The overall objective of the Phase IIB project is to commercialize low precious metal loading, high-performance catalysts for PEM water electrolysis that we have successfully developed in our Phase II project, which may significantly lower the capital cost of water electrolyzers. In Phase II project, we have developed and demonstrated two advanced catalysts. These two catalysts enable reduction of the precious metal catalyst loading on the anode by an order of magnitude, while maintaining performance equivalent to an industry-standard anode. These catalysts also demonstrate good endurance over a 1000-hour test. In the proposed Phase IIB, we will further develop and transition the innovative catalyst synthesis technology to successful commercialization. First, we will scale up the catalyst synthesis process to make short production of these catalysts. Second, we will develop an effective Membrane and Electrode Assembly (MEA) fabrication process to make reproducible and full-sized MEAs. These MEAs will be subsequently integrated into large-size electrolyzers to test their performance and durability. The success of the Phase IIB project will lead to the commercialization of these advanced catalysts for hydrogen production from water electrolysis. These catalysts enable reduction of precious metal catalyst loading on the anode by an order of magnitude while maintaining performance equivalent to an industry-standard catalyst. Alternatively, operating costs (dominated by the cost of electricity), the highest cost of PEM hydrogen production, can be lowered by increasing the loading of these catalysts. These combined efforts will make the commercialization of PEM water electrolysis for production more viable.