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<p>Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE) is a promising method for sustainable hydrogen production due to its maturity and use of non-noble metal catalysts. A key challenge lies in developing cost-effective, durable, and scalable separators that ensure ionic conduction and separation between the electrodes. This study presents a mesh-free composite separator composed of zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO<sub>2</sub> NPs), polysulfone (PSU), and graphene oxide (GO), eliminating the need for expensive polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) mesh and its hazardous hydrophilic surface treatments. GO was incorporated as a multifunctional additive to enhance mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, and dispersion of ZrO<sub>2</sub> NPs. Separators were fabricated with varying compositions of ZrO<sub>2</sub> NPs, PSU, and GO, and tested in a zero-gap titanium-based electrolyser using nickel foam electrodes and 30 wt% potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte. Amongst them, the Sep<sub>72/25/3</sub> separator (72 wt% ZrO<sub>2</sub>, 25 wt% PSU, 3 wt% GO) showed a low area-specific resistance (ASR) of 298 mΩ cm<sup>2</sup> at room temperature (RT). It also exhibited excellent wettability with a reduced contact angle of 23° after 24 h conditioning in 30 wt% KOH, along with a notable improvement in tensile strength, from 1.75 MPa (without GO) to 3.26 MPa, validating the reinforcing role of GO. The results demonstrate a simple and scalable route for fabricating mesh-free separators that strike an optimal balance between ionic resistance, mechanical strength, and wettability, thereby offering a cost-effective alternative for next-generation advanced alkaline water electrolysis (AAWE) systems.</p>

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Facile fabrication of mesh-free, GO-reinforced ZrO2-based separators for advanced alkaline water electrolysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月27日

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  • A. Madhura,
  • Christie Thomas Cherian,
  • Nainesh Patel

摘要

Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE) is a promising method for sustainable hydrogen production due to its maturity and use of non-noble metal catalysts. A key challenge lies in developing cost-effective, durable, and scalable separators that ensure ionic conduction and separation between the electrodes. This study presents a mesh-free composite separator composed of zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs), polysulfone (PSU), and graphene oxide (GO), eliminating the need for expensive polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) mesh and its hazardous hydrophilic surface treatments. GO was incorporated as a multifunctional additive to enhance mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, and dispersion of ZrO2 NPs. Separators were fabricated with varying compositions of ZrO2 NPs, PSU, and GO, and tested in a zero-gap titanium-based electrolyser using nickel foam electrodes and 30 wt% potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte. Amongst them, the Sep72/25/3 separator (72 wt% ZrO2, 25 wt% PSU, 3 wt% GO) showed a low area-specific resistance (ASR) of 298 mΩ cm2 at room temperature (RT). It also exhibited excellent wettability with a reduced contact angle of 23° after 24 h conditioning in 30 wt% KOH, along with a notable improvement in tensile strength, from 1.75 MPa (without GO) to 3.26 MPa, validating the reinforcing role of GO. The results demonstrate a simple and scalable route for fabricating mesh-free separators that strike an optimal balance between ionic resistance, mechanical strength, and wettability, thereby offering a cost-effective alternative for next-generation advanced alkaline water electrolysis (AAWE) systems.