Global climate change prompts an urgent transition to sustainable “green” energy. Water electrolysis is a promising technology for “green” H2 production using electricity generated from renewable energy. However, maintaining the efficiency of green H2 production on a large scale (MW/GW) has been recognised as a challenge, especially under variable and high current densities in the electrolysis process.
An electrolytic reaction involving gas evolution is a complicated phenomenon in most electrochemical/electrolysis processes and affects its energy efficiency. In water electrolysis, H2 and O2 gases are generated at heterogeneous electrode/catalytic material surfaces. In this project, a high-speed camera will be used to visualise the bubble evolution on the MEA in a PEM cell. The cell components will be characterised to understand their impact on the bubble behaviour. Students will work in the laboratory with support from a PhD student to run a small-scale water electrolysis system, including a DC power controller, a commercial PEM water electrolysis cell, water circulation, and high-speed camera etc.
Undergraduate
- Assemble a small PEM water electrolysis cell, including a customised MEA(s) and current collector etc.
- Set up a laboratory system to visualise the O2 gas bubble evolution process in a PEM water electrolysis cell.
- Investigate how electrolysis cell materials affect the bubble behaviour, including materials characterisation such as SEM and XRD, and relevant data analysis, and mathematical simulation
None
No lab has been assigned to this project