Hydrogen Production from Methanol–Water Solution and Pure Water Electrolysis Using Nanocomposite Perfluorinated Sulfocationic Membranes Modified by Polyaniline

Abstract

In this work, we report the preparation of Nafion membranes containing two different nanocomposite MF-4SC membranes, modified with polyaniline (PANI) by the casting method through two different polyaniline infiltration procedures. These membranes were evaluated as a polymer electrolyte membrane for water electrolysis. Operating conditions were optimized in terms of current density, stability, and methanol concentration. A study was made on the effects on the cell performance of various parameters, such as methanol concentration, water, and cell voltage. The energy required for pure water electrolysis was analyzed at different temperatures for the different membranes. Our experiments showed that PEM electrolyzers provide hydrogen production of 30 mL/min, working at 160 mA/cm2. Our composite PANI membranes showed an improved behavior over pristine perfluorinated sulfocationic membranes (around 20% reduction in specific energy). Methanol–water electrolysis required considerably less (around 65%) electrical power than water electrolysis. The results provided the main characteristics of aqueous methanol electrolysis, in which the power consumption is 2.34 kW h/kg of hydrogen at current densities higher than 0.5 A/cm2. This value is ~20-fold times lower than the electrical energy required to produce 1 kg of hydrogen by water electrolysis.

Modulating the electronic structure of Ni(OH)2 by coupling with low-content Pt for boosting the urea oxidation reaction enables significantly promoted energy-saving hydrogen production

“…The significantly decreased power consumption from 4.27 to 3.58 kW h m −3 H 2 at 80 mA cm −2 can be clearly observed due to the replacement of the OER by the UOR, and it can be concluded that urea-assisted water splitting needs considerably less electrical energy than overall water splitting to achieve the energy-saving hydrogen production. 73,74…”

“…The significantly decreased power consumption from 4.27 to 3.58 kW h m À3 H 2 at 80 mA cm À2 can be clearly observed due to the replacement of the OER by the UOR, and it can be concluded that urea-assisted water splitting needs considerably less electrical energy than overall water splitting to achieve the energy-saving hydrogen production. 73,74 Therefore, to highlight the advantages of the urea-assisted electrolyzer in practical H 2 production, we have collected the cathodic H 2 from the constructed electrolyzer. The H 2 production rate of 0.23 mmol h À1 is attained at a voltage of 1.60 V for urea-assisted water splitting, which is 10-fold that of overall water splitting without the addition of urea (Fig.…”

Molybdenum Carbide/Ni Nanoparticles Embedded into Carbon Nanofibers as an Effective Non-Precious Catalyst for Green Hydrogen Production from Methanol Electrooxidation

“…Methanol is a more concentrated form of carbon, making it easier to transport and store than water [2]. Water electrolysis is generally considered less efficient than MOR, as the latter requires less energy to generate the same amount of hydrogen [3]. Methanol electrooxidation is generally easier to implement than water electrolysis, as it requires fewer components and has a more straightforward process [4].…”