Interpenetrating 3D Electrodes for High-Rate Alkaline Water Splitting

• Published in: ACS materials letters 2024-08, Vol.6 (8), p.3705-3712
• Main Authors: Ren, Qiu, Feng, Longsheng, Tran, Cassidy, Eisenberg, Samuel, Xue, Xinzhe, Pinongcos, Anica, Duoss, Eric B., Zhu, Cheng, Li, Yat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
• ISSN: 2639-4979; 2639-4979
• DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c00746

Mass transfer is critical for the reaction kinetics and efficiency of alkaline water splitting (AWS). For AWS to operate at high current densities (hundreds of mA/cm2), the device architecture must ensure a large catalytic surface area, rapid ion diffusion, and minimal solution and charge transfer resistances. Effective electrodes should also facilitate gas bubble detachment and release. 3D-printed electrodes have shown promise, but stacking them increases the ion diffusion length and solution resistance. We demonstrate a new device architecture with interpenetrating gyroid electrodes, providing a large ion-accessible surface area and gas diffusion channels. This design significantly reduces the interelectrode distance, lowering ion diffusion length and solution resistance. Simulations show faster ion diffusion and higher current density in the interpenetrating configuration compared with separate electrodes. This improved performance, especially at low temperatures and high current densities, highlights a promising strategy for enhancing AWS and other electrochemical systems limited by slow ion diffusion.