Performance Enhancement of Alkaline Water Electrolyzer Using Nanostructured Electrodes Synthetized by Template Electrosynthesis

Abstract

The increase of power generation by renewable sources is causing problems in the management of the electricity grid. In order to favor the transition from the current energy production towards renewable energy sources, it is necessary to plan strategy to develop suitable energy storage systems. Certainly, the electrochemical hydrogen production can be considered as one of the most promising storage technologies. In this work, an innovative alkaline electrolyzer is presented from its design based on the use of nanostructured electrodes up to its implementation suggested by the results of tests simulating real operation. The nanostructured electrodes were fabricated by template electrosynthesis that is a simple and inexpensive process. The lab-scale electrochemical reactor was made by a 3D printer. The electrolysis results from the innovative cell operated in 30% w/w KOH aqueous solution were compared with those from a conventional one employing planar electrodes in otherwise identical conditions.