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A bipolar membrane can maintain a steady-state pH difference between the sites of oxidation and reduction in membrane-supported, solar-driven water-splitting systems without changing the overall thermodynamics required to split water. A commercially available bipolar membrane that can serve this purpose has been identified, its performance has been evaluated quantitatively, and is demonstrated to meet the requirements for this application. For effective utilization in integrated solar-driven water-splitting systems, such bipolar membranes must, however, be modified to simultaneously optimize their physical properties such as optical transparency, electronic conductivity and kinetics of water dissociation.

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Bipolar membranes are formed by the lamination of an anion- and cation-exchange layer. Upon a sufficient applied reverse bias, water molecules at the layer junction dissociate, generating OH(-) and H(+), which can be useful in electrodialysis and electrosynthesis applications. Graphene oxide has been introduced into bipolar membrane junctions (illustrated in the adjacent graphic) and is shown to be an efficient new water dissociation catalyst, lowering the overpotential by 75% compared to a control membrane. It was found that adjusting deposition conditions changes the nature of the graphene oxide films, leading to tunable membrane performance. Additionally, it is shown that their low overpotentials are stable, making for industrially viable, high-performance bipolar membranes.

No abstract