Scale-Up of PTFE-Based Gas Diffusion Electrodes Using an Electrolyte-Integrated Polymer-Coated Current Collector Approach

Abstract

Nonconductive porous polymer substrates, such as PTFE, have been pivotal in the fabrication of stable and high-performing gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for the reduction of CO2/CO in small scale electrolyzers; however, the scale-up of polymer-based GDEs without performance penalties to technologically more relevant electrode sizes has remained elusive. This work reports on a new current collector concept that enables the scale-up of PTFE-based GDEs from 5 to 100 cm2 and beyond. The present approach builds on a multifunctional current collector concept that enables multipoint front-contacting of thin catalyst coatings, which mitigates performance losses even for high resistivity cathodes. Our improved current collector design concomitantly incorporates a flow-field functionality in a monopolar plate configuration, keeping electrolyte gaps small for increased performance. Experiments with 100 cm2 cathodes were conducted in a one-gap alkaline AEM and acid CEM system. Our design represents an important step forward in the development of larger-size CO2 electrolyzers.