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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Overview of NETL’s Low Temperature CO2 Electrolysis Research

This keynote lecture will briefly overview diverse research areas of National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to advance energy and environmental sustainability along with carbon management. Our electrochemistry efforts on carbon conversion directly support the US goal of achieving carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050. Since CO2 electroreduction is highly structure-sensitive, NETL ongoing research has been focused on the rational design and engineering of electrocatalysts to facilitate the CO2 conversion to desirable products with good selectivity, activity, and durability. Different classes and types of electrocatalytic materials will be covered in this talk, from well-defined atomic-scale model catalysts to heterogenous, scalable powder systems at nano- and micro-scale for “real world” performance evaluation. Several spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical characterization techniques along with computational findings will be additionally discussed to gain more insights into the structure-activity relation. The last part of this seminar will provide more detail on how NETL has transitioned from the most common aqueous H-type reactor for lab-scale validation to more realistic full electrolyzer cell in bench-scale prototype. The knowledge, electrocatalytic materials, and device validation achieved from NETL in-house research will be translated to industrial sector for large scale deployment and the anticipated outcome will help advance the development of low temperature CO2 electrolysis technologies.

Nguyen Phan, Thuy Duong↗
DOE OSTI2026

Public Reference Data for Megawatt-Scale Hydrogen Electrolysis - NLR Historical Solar PV

The U.S. Department of Energy and National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) demonstrate hydrogen electrolysis from variable sources, hydrogen compression and storage, and hydrogen fuel cell power production using megawatt-scale equipment at NLR’s Flatirons Campus as part of the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) research platform. This dataset represents part of that effort and is intended for academic, national laboratory, industrial, and other stakeholders to plan, design, and validate models of megawatt-scale hydrogen technologies and diverse energy infrastructure nationwide. These data provide a baseline for how existing hydrogen electrolysis technologies perform when coupled with various energy technologies. Future datasets will demonstrate how existing hydrogen fuel cell technologies can provide controllable, dispatchable, and variable power output for artificial intelligence data centers and other variable loads. This dataset entry describes the behavior of a 1.25-MW proton exchange membrane MC250 electrolyzer system, manufactured by Nel Hydrogen , [1] when fed historical data generated by the 430-kW, fixed-axis solar photovoltaic (PV) array located at NLR’s Flatirons Campus. (While the electrolyzer balance of plant supports up to 2.5 MW of electrolysis, NLR only has a single 1.25-MW electrolysis stack.) Solar PV power output data for the 2020 calendar year were categorized on a daily basis by total energy generation and standard deviation. Each day was then ranked by these metrics, and the 25th, 50th, and 100th percentiles were selected. The 75th percentile day did not exhibit sufficient variability to make for a valuable experiment. A similar process was used for the related historical wind dataset . [2] The historical days in 2020 that represented these percentiles are Dec. 19, March 29, and May 4, respectively. The entire solar day’s power profile was then fed through the MC250 electrolyzer. Due to its length, the 100th percentile day experiment was split into two parts, and the final 3 hours of the solar day were not captured. These final 3 hours contained no spikes or dips of interest and simply represented a slow decay of input solar power. Also, a single timestamp (13:13:47 on Jan. 14, 2026) was lost in the hydrogen system supervisory control and data acquisition. Finally, during the 25th percentile experiment (solar day Dec. 19, 2020) data recording was lost from 11:00:13 to 11:14:45. The roughly 15 minutes of the solar profile were rerun at the end of the experiment and spliced into this time slot during post-processing. The electrolysis system controls hydrogen production by varying direct current applied to the stack, from a maximum of 3,000 A to a minimum safe operation of 300 A, or 10%. Because the current–voltage characteristic changes as the stack ages and efficiency degrades, the actual minimum safe operating power changes over time. The historical solar profiles were translated from power (kilowatts) to current (amperes) using a curve fit with calibration data and sent to the electrolyzer power supply at 1-Hz frequency. For more details on the statistical analysis process, see the slide deck “Public Reference Data for Megawatt-Scale Hydrogen Electrolysis: NLR Historical Solar PV Analysis and Profile Generation” accessible with this data entry. These datasets report relevant hydrogen balance-of-plant and system data, all captured at 1 Hz, including hydrogen mass production measured with an Emerson Coriolis flow meter. Each .zip file represents a single solar PV electrolysis experiment and is formatted as: {technology}_{percentile}_{scaling factor} For instance, “solarPV-430kW_25_2x.zip” reports the experiment using the 25th percentile solar data from the historical 2020 solar PV dataset, scaled to 200%. Scaling factors were applied to the generated solar PV power output files to more closely match the 1.25-MW capacity of the electrolyzer. Each .zip folder contains the following files: A .csv file containing raw data. An .xlsx file explaining all the fields in the raw data. A .png plot showing the time series of hydrogen production, electrolysis power consumption, and solar power input. A PDF file detailing the historical solar data statistical analysis used to generate the solar profile. An experiment labeled “characterization_200.zip” demonstrates the MC250 electrolyzer steady-state response with 30-minute load steps for a total duration of 5 hours. Finally, a .csv file is provided with all experiments combined into one dataset labeled "combined_solarPV_experiments.csv". [1] nelhydrogen.com/product/mc-series-electrolyser . [2] data.nlr.gov/submissions/316 .

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

Public Reference Data for Megawatt-Scale Hydrogen Electrolysis - NLR Historical Wind

The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) demonstrate hydrogen electrolysis from variable sources, hydrogen compression and storage, and hydrogen fuel cell power production using megawatt-scale equipment at NLR’s Flatirons Campus as part of the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) initiative. This dataset represents part of that effort and is intended for academic, national laboratory, industrial, and other stakeholders to plan, design, and validate models of megawatt-scale hydrogen technologies and diverse energy infrastructure nationwide. These data provide a baseline for how existing hydrogen electrolysis technologies perform when coupled with various energy technologies. Future datasets will demonstrate how existing hydrogen fuel cell technologies can provide controllable, dispatchable, and variable power output for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and other variable loads. This dataset entry describes hydrogen production by conducting a statistical analysis of historical wind data over a five-year period (2020-2025) from a single 1.5MW turbine manufactured by General Electric (GE) located at NLR’s Flatirons Campus, to generate an experimental test profile that was deployed on a 1.25-MW proton exchange membrane type MC250 electrolyzer system manufactured by Nel Hydrogen . [1] While the electrolyzer balance-of-plant supports up to 2.5 MW of electrolysis, NLR only has a single 1.25-MW electrolysis stack. The historical wind data provided several metrics, however, the analysis particularly focused on the measured power output by the wind turbine. The power output time series of data for each day was categorized by total energy generation and standard deviation, and the day that represented the highest combination of these two metrics was chosen – December 25th, 2022. This process was then repeated for a moving four-hour window within this day to identify the most statistically variable period. Finally, this four-hour period was scaled by 65% to match the 1.25 MW electrolyzer. The electrolysis system controls hydrogen production by varying DC current applied to the stack, from a maximum of 3000 A to a minimum safe operation of 300 A, or 10%. Because the current – voltage characteristic changes as the stack ages and efficiency degrades, the actual minimum safe operating power changes over time. The historical wind profiles were translated from power (kilowatts) to current (amperes) using a curve fit with calibration data and sent to the electrolyzer power supply at 1 Hz frequency. For more details on the statistical analysis process, see the presentation labeled “ Public Reference Data for Megawatt-Scale Hydrogen Electrolysis” provided with each data entry. These datasets report relevant hydrogen balance-of-plant and system data, all captured at 1 Hz, including hydrogen mass production measured with an Emerson Coriolis flow meter. Each .zip file represents a single wind turbine electrolysis experiment and is formatted as follows: {technology}_{scaling factor}-{electrolyzer ramp rate in amperes/second} For instance, “wind-GE1.5MW_0.65-400.zip” represents the hour-long experiment using historical data from the wind-GE1.5MW turbine, scaled to 65%, with the electrolyzer power supply set to a maximum ramp rate (gain and slew) of 400 A/s. Each .zip folder contains the following files: A .csv file containing raw data An .xlsx file explaining all the fields in the raw data. A .png plot showing the time series of hydrogen production, electrolysis power consumption, and wind power input. A PDF file detailing the historical wind data statistical analysis used to generate the wind profile. An experiment labeled “characterization_200.zip” demonstrates the MC250 electrolyzer steady-state response with 30-minute load steps for a total duration of 5 hours. Finally, a .csv file is provided with all simulated wind experiments combined into one dataset labeled "combined_historical_wind_experiments.csv". NLR also built an AI/machine-learning predictive model based on these datasets. The model ingests the electrolyzer current command in amperes, as well as various pressures and temperatures across the system, and predicts hydrogen output in kilograms per hour. The complete model can be found at https://huggingface.co/NatLabRockies/ptmelt-hydrogen-electrolysis [1] nelhydrogen.com/product/mc-series-electrolyser .

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Techno-economic optimization of renewable urea production for sustainable agriculture and CO 2 utilization

Abstract Urea is the most used nitrogen fertilizer due to its ease of storage, transportation, and application. It is made by combining ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), both of which are produced predominantly from fossil fuels at present. The recent momentum behind ammonia production using renewable-powered electrolysis offers an opportunity to both make urea in a more sustainable way and utilize CO 2 from external sources. In this work, we present a techno-economic optimization model to minimize the cost of making urea in this way. The model allows for time-varying chemical production in response to renewable variability by simultaneously optimizing production facility design and hourly operation. We performed a case study for Minnesota considering the use of byproduct CO 2 from bioethanol production. We found that the present-day levelized cost of renewable urea is between $268 mt −1 and $413 mt −1 at likely implementable production scales up to 250 000 mt yr −1 . This is within the range of historical conventional urea prices while offering at least 78% carbon intensity reduction. Projecting to 2030, there is a clear economic case for renewable urea production with levelized cost as low as $135 mt −1 due to technology improvement and electrolysis manufacturing expansion, facilitating a urea production scale increase to 525 000 mt yr −1 . Optimal facilities use wind energy, with hydrogen and ammonia production operating in a flexible, time-varying way to minimize battery and hydrogen storage capacities. Urea production operates near steady state due to the relatively low cost of intermediate ammonia buffer storage. A mix of imported methane and locally produced hydrogen are used to provide heat for steam consumed in the urea synthesis.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ir–Ru Particles Enable Low-Loading Acidic Oxygen Evolution for Integrated Solar Devices

Integrated photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices for water splitting represent a compelling pathway for sustainable hydrogen production, directly converting solar energy into chemical fuels. While alkaline systems have achieved state-of-the-art solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies above 20% using earth-abundant catalysts, acidic PEC architectures provide unique advantages for compact device integration, fast proton transport, and stable operation under highly dynamic solar conditions. Proton-exchange membrane (PEM)-based configurations enable high current densities, low gas crossover, and rapid ionic response, making them especially well-suited for intermittent, bias-free PEC operation, despite alkaline electrolysis being more technologically mature. A critical limitation of acidic PEC systems remains, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which currently relies on scarce and costly iridium catalysts, restricting scalability. Here, in this study, we report a series of low-iridium mixed-metal oxide catalysts synthesized via a surfactant-assisted borohydride reduction method. An optimized Ir 0.5 Ru 0.5 O x catalyst exhibits exceptional intrinsic activity (>400 A g –1 Ir at 1.55 V vs RHE) in 0.1 M HClO 4 and maintains stable operation for over 10 days in an integrated PEC flow-cell. Sustained hydrogen production is achieved at 1.65 V with a total iridium loading of only 0.1 mg cm –2 , substantially below commercial PEM benchmarks. These results demonstrate a viable pathway toward scalable, high-performance acidic PEC hydrogen technologies.

Acidic electrolysis↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advances in benchmarking and round robin testing for PEM water electrolysis: Reference protocol and hardware

While the number of publications in the PEM water electrolysis community increases each year, no common ground concerning reference hardware (test cells and test bench) and testing protocols has been yet established. This would, however, be necessary for the comparability of experimental results. First attempts for such reference hardware and procedures have been made in the framework of the Task 30 Electrolysis within the Technology Collaboration Programme on Advanced Fuel Cells (AFC TCP) of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Since then, improvements of both the test hardware (test cell and components) as well as the measurement protocol were identified, and a revised methodology and key results based on a comprehensive measurement series have been obtained. A detailed protocol for testing commercial reference components with a reference laboratory test cell developed in-house by Fraunhofer ISE is presented. For evaluation of the protocol and the hardware, it was tested at three different institutions at the same time. Impedance spectroscopic and polarization data was acquired and analyzed. The obtained differences in performance were calculated to give the community an expectation window to compare own data to. Finally, the importance of a thorough temperature control and the conditioning phase are demonstrated.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1977

Efficiency and cost advantages of an advanced-technology nuclear electrolytic hydrogen-energy production facility

The concept of an advanced-technology (viz., 1985 technology) nuclear-electrolytic water electrolysis facility was assessed for hydrogen production cost and efficiency expectations. The facility integrates (1) a high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor (HTGR) operating a binary work cycle, (2) direct-current (d-c) electricity generation via acyclic generators, and (3) high-current-density, high-pressure electrolyzers using a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE). All subsystems are close-coupled and optimally interfaced for hydrogen production alone (i.e., without separate production of electrical power). Pipeline-pressure hydrogen and oxygen are produced at 6900 kPa (1000 psi). We found that this advanced facility would produce hydrogen at costs that were approximately half those associated with contemporary-technology nuclear electrolysis: $5.36 versus $10.86/million Btu, respectively. The nuclear-heat-to-hydrogen-energy conversion efficiency for the advanced system was estimated as 43%, versus 25% for the contemporary system.

Donakowski, T. D.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Oxygen Electrocatalysis on Mixed-Metal Oxides/Oxyhydroxides: From Fundamentals to Membrane Electrolyzer Technology

Catalyzing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is important for key energy-storage technologies, particularly water electrolysis and photoelectrolysis for hydrogen fuel production. Under neutral-to-alkaline conditions, first-row transition-metal oxides/(oxy)hydroxides are the fastest-known OER catalysts and have been the subject of intense study for the past decade. Critical to their high performance is the intentional or accidental addition of Fe to Ni/Co oxides that convert to layered (oxy)hydroxide structures during the OER. Unraveling the role that Fe plays in the catalysis and the molecular identity of the true “active site” has proved challenging, however, due to the dynamics of the host structure and absorbed Fe sites as well as the diversity of local structures in these disordered active phases. In this Account, we highlight our work to understand the role of Fe in Ni/Co (oxy)hydroxide OER catalysts. We first discuss how we characterize the intrinsic activity of the first-row transition-metal (oxy)hydroxide catalysts as thin films by accounting for the contributions of the catalyst-layer thickness (mass loading) and electrical conductivity as well as the underlying substrate’s chemical interactions with the catalyst and the presence of Fe species in the electrolyte. We show how Fe-doped Ni/Co (oxy)hydroxides restructure during catalysis, absorb/desorb Fe, and in some cases degrade or regenerate their activity during electrochemical testing. We highlight the relevant techniques and procedures that allowed us to better understand the role of Fe in activating other first-row transition metals for OER. We find several modes of Fe incorporation in Ni/Co (oxy)hydroxides and show how those modes correlate with activity and durability. We also discuss how this understanding informs the incorporation of earth-abundant transition-metal OER catalysts in anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWE) that provide a locally basic anode environment but run on pure water and have advantages over the more-developed proton-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE) that use platinum-group-metal (PGM) catalysts. We outline the key issues of introducing Fe-doped Ni/Co (oxy)hydroxide catalysts at the anode of the AEMWE, such as the oxidative processes triggered by Fe species traveling through the polymer membrane, pH-gradient effects on the catalyst stability, and possibly limited catalyst utilization in the compressed stack configuration. We also suggest possible mitigation strategies for these issues. Lastly, we summarize remaining challenges including the long-term stability of Fe-doped Ni/Co (oxy)hydroxides under OER conditions and the lack of accurate models of the dynamic active surface that hinder our understanding of, and thus ability to design, these catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Techno-economic and life cycle analysis of bio-hydrogen production using bio-based waste streams through the integration of dark fermentation and microbial electrolysis

Hydrogen derived from bio-based sources, or biohydrogen (bioH 2 ), has the potential to reduce GHG emissions from industrial and transportation sectors, owing to the low carbon footprint and myriad applications like refinery operation, ammonia production, steel production, fuel cell, etc. To evaluate the commercialization potential of bioH 2 production, we modeled bioH 2 production and conducted techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA) of two facilities producing 50 metric tonnes of bioH 2 per day from cheese whey (CW) and solid food waste (SFW) through the integration of dark fermentation (DF) and microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) technologies. LCA results showed that CW and SFW can produce carbon-negative bioH 2 , with emissions of −8.6 and −8.0 kg GHG kg −1 bioH 2 with carbon sequestration and renewable electricity resources, respectively, making bioH 2 potentially eligible for a tax credit of $\$3$ kg −1 H 2 based on provision 45 V of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In this study, bioH 2 production treats waste streams to generate fresh water, thus, potentially can receive waste water treatment fee that varies with regions. The MEC capital cost dominates the bioH 2 cost, which is mainly determined by current density. With a current density of 20 A m −2 , the production cost for CW input varied between $\$17$ and $\$24$ kg −1 bioH 2 , while that for SFW input ranged from $\$29$ to $\$30$ kg −1 bioH 2 under different operating conditions, considering the 45 V tax credit, waste water treatment fee and production revenue. If the current density increases to 100 A m −2 , the bioH 2 cost decreases to a range of $\$4.0$–$\$6.9$ for CW and $\$5$–$\$6$ for SFW scenarios. This study also shows that low-cost bioH 2 can be produced using CW waste stream as feedstock.

Ganguly, Arna [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cyclic olefin copolymer-based reinforced anion exchange membranes for water electrolyzers

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) have emerged as a promising technology for water electrolysis in hydrogen production since they offer significant cost reduction in choices of electrocatalysts and bipolar plates. However, AEMs satisfying multiple requirements of high ionic conductivity, good chemical stability, robust mechanical properties, scalable synthesis, and low manufacturing costs are rare. Herein, we introduce quaternary ammonium functionalized cyclic olefin copolymers (COCs) as a new class of chemically stable and low-cost AEM materials. To further enhance the mechanical robustness, we prepared reinforced composite AEMs by impregnating the ionically functionalized COC into a mechanically robust matrix. The resulting reinforced composite membrane exhibits a high hydroxide conductivity of 127 mS cm −1 and excellent mechanical strength. In water electrolyzers, the MEA demonstrated outstanding performance, achieving a current density of 2.24 A cm −2 at 1.8 V, attributable to high conductivity, enhanced mechanical properties, and good alkaline stability of the composite membrane. These results indicate that the COC-based AEMs demonstrate good potential for application in AEM electrolyzers.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Production of Bioproducts from Electrochemically-Generated C1 Intermediates

The overarching objective of the project was to develop an integrated process that converts carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into the platform chemical isopropanol (IPA) using a combination of two key technologies: CO 2 electrolysis and gas fermentation. The final goal was to demonstrate the full process at bench scale with a minimum carbon conversion efficiency of 37% and to evaluate the economics and environmental impact of scaling up the electrochemical-biochemical process.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1977

Space power technology applied to the energy problem

A solution to the energy problem is suggested through the technology of photovoltaic electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen. Efficient solar devices are discussed in relation to available solar energy, and photovoltaic energy cost. It is concluded that photovoltaic electrolytic generation of hydrogen will be economically feasible in 1985.

Miller, J. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Fixed-Bed Columns for Adsorption of C2H2 in Metal Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Recovery in Long-Duration Human Space Flight

To live and work in space, astronauts must have a breathable atmosphere. Current life support system technology utilizes the electrolysis of water to recover O2 as the main method of Oxygen recovery. In addition, the Sabatier Reaction is used to recover H2O from the CO2 produced by human respiration. The current atmosphere revitalization architecture onboard the International Space Station (ISS) has an efficiency of approximately 54% oxygen recovery. Therefore, these systems require substantial resupplies of water to sustain this environment, which make long-duration space flight missions, such as Martian transit, expensive and difficult. In order to support these missions, oxygen recovery must exceed 75-90% efficiency. Additional research has shown that with the addition of a Plasma Pyrolysis system, CH4 produced by the Sabatier reaction may be broken down into H2 and C2H2 and the H2 may be recycled. However, the Hydrogen must be separated from the highly volatile C2H2. There are many potential separation methods. A promising method includes the adsorption of the C2H2 into Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) using Vacuum Swing Adsorption. Due to the fragile nature of the MOFs and hazards present in producing C2H2, the columns must have a design that is compatible to both materials and that has the potential to operate in extraterrestrial environments. Successful design and testing of this Hydrogen separation system would allow the PPA to be fully integrated into the current oxygen regeneration system, resulting in a theoretical O2 recovery of 91.3%.

Hannah K Davis↗
DOE OSTI2023

NMPC for Setpoint Tracking Operation of a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell System

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are a promising technology to generate hydrogen through water electrolysis. However, intermittent renewable energy requires SOECs to transition between hydrogen production setpoints as the price of electricity fluctuates. A well-functioning control system is important to avoid cell degradation during setpoint tracking operation. In this work, we apply nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) to an SOEC module and supporting equipment and compare NMPC performance to classical PI control while ramping between hydrogen production setpoints. We find that these control methods provide similar performance in many metrics, but NMPC significantly reduces cell thermal gradients during the setpoint transition.

Allan, Douglas↗
DOE OSTI2025

Methanol from Integrated Direct Air Capture and Ceramic Electrolysis (MIDACE)

The Methanol from Integrated Direct Air Capture and Ceramic Electrolysis (MIDACE) project advanced a novel system concept for integrating pressurized co-electrolysis of steam and crude carbon dioxide captured directly from ambient air using a sorbent technology. The co-electrolysis produced syngas provides feedstock for a gas-to-liquid methanol synthesis reactor. The system recovers waste heat from the reactor and electrolyzer into regenerating the direct air capture sorbent. The purpose of the project was to demonstrate critical integration elements of the design and perform a technical study illustrating how a large-scale installation could achieve the $800/ton program target for green methanol production. The concept addresses the program objective to consolidate operations by combining crude CO 2 cleanup, hydrogen production, and partial CO 2 reduction steps within a carbon tolerant high temperature electrolyzer. The design lowers costs by simplifying the methanol recovery cycle, reducing carbon losses from venting, reducing sensitivity to catalyst selectivity, and avoiding syngas compression.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Techno-Economic Analysis of Large-Scale Hydrogen Production from Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Systems

The objective of this study is to establish a detailed techno-economic analysis to assess the effectiveness of incremental technology improvements needed for solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology to achieve the U.S. DOE’s Hydrogen Shot goal of hydrogen production at less than $1 per kilogram. The pathway considers incremental technology improvements to key system parameters, with system performance and cost assessed for each pathway step. Briefly, the steps include cell voltage degradation rate improvements, operational current density increases, operating temperature reduction, improved steam utilization, increased system capacity factor, and reduced cell/stack capital costs. Each step is assessed at both atmospheric and pressurized (8 bar) operating conditions. To supplement assessment at each of these discrete stepwise improvements, sensitivity studies are conducted to understand the relative impact of each parameter and identify avenues for additional cost reductions. System efficiency and levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH) for each case are presented. For the end-of-pathway case, which includes all the incremental research and development improvements, the cost of hydrogen produced is reduced by 50 percent from the state-of-the-art case.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

La–Sr–Co oxide catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction in anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer: The role of electrode fabrication on performance and durability

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis is an attractive technology for low-cost generation of “green” hydrogen by combining the use of noble metal-free catalysts with pure water feed. By thus addressing main drawbacks of the liquid alkaline electrolysis and proton exchange membrane water electrolysis, anion exchange membrane water electrolysis stands an excellent chance of replacing the two technologies. The development of active and stable platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for making anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) practical. For this work, we synthesized, characterized and tested two La–Sr–Co oxide-based OER catalysts. First, we characterized the catalysts by XRD, SEM, and N 2 physisorption and assessed their OER activity in a three-electrode cell. Next, we focused on electrode fabrication, demonstrating the importance of catalyst-ink application to the porous transport layers (PTLs) and a key role of adding a binder to the catalyst ink to prevent the catalyst detachment from the PTL in pure water. We tested three membrane electrode assemblies prepared using different formulations of the anode catalyst ink. The results show that the optimum ink formulation is essential for the performance on pure-water feed by maximizing OH - conductivity of the catalyst layer and catalyst-membrane interface.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Alcohols

The vast quantities of fossil fuels used by our society have led to unprecedented atmospheric carbon dioxide levels with widespread climate impacts. Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to valuable fuels and chemicals is a promising technology to utilize carbon dioxide emitted from coal-fired power plants. In this project, the team developed an integrated electrolyzer system that takes the flue gas from the power plant and produce C2/C3 alcohols (i.e., ethanol and n-propanol) through a two-stage electrolysis process. The pretreated carbon dioxide from the flue gas is converted into carbon monoxide by the first stage carbon dioxide electrolysis, followed by the second stage where the produced carbon monoxide is further converted into liquid C2/C3 alcohols with a high selectivity and energy efficiency. Impact and anticipated fate of flue gas contaminants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, on the proposed technology was also evaluated. Furthermore, a full analysis of economics and life-cycle of the carbon dioxide electrolysis technology for carbon dioxide emissions mitigation from coal-fired power plants was conducted to evaluate the economic feasibility and carbon dioxide mitigation potential of the proposed technology.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗