Local Chemical Environment Governs Anode Processes in CO₂ Electrolyzers.

ABSTRACT: A major goal within the CO₂ electrolysis community is to replace the generally used Ir anode catalyst with a more abundant material, which is stable and active for water oxidation under process conditions. Ni is widely applied in alkaline water electrolysis, and it has been considered as a potential anode catalyst in CO₂ electrolysis. Here we compare the operation of electrolyzer cells with Ir and Ni anodes and demonstrate that, while Ir is stable under process conditions, the degradation of Ni leads to a rapid cell failure. This is caused by two parallel mechanisms: (i) a pH decrease of the anolyte to a near neutral value and (ii) the local chemical environment developing at the anode (i.e., high carbonate concentration). The latter is detrimental for zero-gap electr

SUBMITTER: Vass A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8593866 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature