A Cocrystallized Catalyst-Coated Membrane With High Performance For Solid Polymer Electrolyte Water Electrolysis

A cocrystallized catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) is prepared by together heating amorphous Nafion membrane and catalyst layers at 120 degrees C to develop the membrane electrode assembly for solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolysis. The cocrystallization treatment effectively reinforces the bonding between membrane and catalyst layers, and increases the hydrophobicity of the catalyst layers. The SPE water electrolyser with the cocrystallized CCM decreased cell voltage by 0.09 V at 2000 mA cm(-2) at 80 degrees C and improved the stability in comparison with the conventional CCM. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.