Improving the Efficiencies of Water Splitting and CO2 Electrolysis by Anodic O2 Bubble Management

Shusheng Wan; Huanlei Zhang; Ke Ye; Jieyang Li; Yucheng He; Xiaolin Ge; Tongwen Xu; Wen-Bin Cai; Meng Lin; Kun Jiang

doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02902

Improving the Efficiencies of Water Splitting and CO₂ Electrolysis by Anodic O₂ Bubble Management

J Phys Chem Lett. 2023 Dec 14;14(49):11217-11223. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02902. Epub 2023 Dec 6.

Authors

Shusheng Wan¹, Huanlei Zhang², Ke Ye³, Jieyang Li², Yucheng He³, Xiaolin Ge⁴, Tongwen Xu⁴, Wen-Bin Cai¹, Meng Lin², Kun Jiang^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
² Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
³ Interdisciplinary Research Center, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Material Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.

PMID: 38055915
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02902

Abstract

This study systematically explores the impact of the anodic flow field design on the transport of O₂ bubble and subsequent energy efficiency in electrolysis devices. Two distinct configurations, namely a conventional serpentine flow panel and an interdigitated flow panel, are integrated at the anode side of the electrolyzer. The interdigitated flow field exhibits superior performance in both alkaline water splitting and CO₂ reduction despite the experience of an increased pressure drop. Numerical simulations reveal that the enhanced convective flow of the O₂ bubbles induced by a forced anolyte flow through the porous electrode within the interdigitated panel design resulted in a 3 orders of magnitude increase in the level of the O₂ bubble transport compared to the serpentine configuration. These findings not only underscore the significance of flow field design on bubble management but also provide a basis for advancing the electrolysis efficiency at industrial-level current densities.