A titanium-based hydrogen evolution electrode for solid polymer water electrolyzer and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a titanium-based hydrogen evolution electrode used for a solid polymer water electrolyzing device and a preparing method of the titanium-based hydrogen evolution electrode. Thetitanium-based hydrogen evolution electrode is obtained in the manner that a perpendicularly-oriented titanium oxide nanotube array layer is prepared on the surface of a porous titanium base body, then precious metal nano particles are loaded on the surface of the titanium oxide nanotube array layer to form a catalyst layer, and finally the surface of the catalyst layer is coated with an ionic conducting polymer. The electrode has the functions of a current collector in the water electrolyzing device and the catalyst layer and can be used for replacing a carbon-supported platinum catalyst layer in a traditional solid polymer water electrolyzing device to be directly used for the hydrogen evolution reaction, the hydrogen evolution catalytic performance similar to that of a traditional carbon-supported platinum cathode can be obtained, the titanium-based hydrogen evolution electrode further has the beneficial effects of being low in cost and simple in process on the basis that the electrolytic efficiency of the solid polymer water electrolyzing device is ensured, and good application prospects and market value are achieved.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention belongs to the field of polymer water electrolysis hydrogen production, and more particularly, the invention relates to a porous titanium hydrogen evolution electrode used in a solid polymer water electrolyzer and a preparation method thereof. Background technique [0002] The solid polymer water electrolyzer is a water electrolysis hydrogen production device based on solid polymer membrane technology. It has the advantages of high electrolysis efficiency, long life, fast start and stop, and suitable for fluctuating current operation. It can be used for large-scale hydrogen production and renewable energy. Energy storage for energy generation systems. [0003] Improving the efficiency, stability and reducing the cost of solid-state polymer water electrolyzers is a current research focus. From the perspective of engineering applications, a lot of research is currently focused on reducing the amount of precious metals in membrane electrode...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In order to ensure the stability of the electrolytic single cell, the cathode titanium current collector is mostly coated with noble metals such as platinum and gold to prevent the growth of the passivation layer on the titanium surface or the occurrence of hydrogen embrittlement, but this part of the noble metal is not combined with the solid polymer Membrane contact thus only plays an anti-corrosion role, and what actually participates in the hydrogen evolution reaction is still the powder catalyst layer of carbon-supported platinum or platinum alloy, so the usage rate of precious metals is low, which is not conducive to reducing the cost of water electrolyzers

[0004] Titanium electrodes supported by noble metals have been widely used in electrocatalytic reactions. Porous hydrogen evolution electrodes can be formed by using porous titanium plates as substrates and loading noble metal catalysts on their surfaces. However, such electrodes are currently only suitable for electrolysis in solution systems. It is used in solid polymer water electrolyzers, but it faces the problems of small reaction area and low catalytic activity, and cannot improve the electrolysis efficiency of polymer water electrolyzers. Therefore, titanium electrodes loaded with precious metals should be directly used as solid polymer electrolyzers. In the device, it is necessary to greatly expand the contact area between the electrode and the polymer electrolyte

The literature (L. Zhang et al. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 688 (2013) 262–268) obtained the anode current collector by preparing titanium oxide nanotube arrays on the surface of titanium mesh and loading iridium oxide, and assembled a solid polymer bromide However, this method still has the following problems: (1) this type of titanium mesh with titanium oxide arrays can only be used as a current collector, and it is still the membrane electrode (MEA) that is really used to catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen bromide. Iridium black and platinum on carbon

(2) Titanium mesh with titanium oxide nanotube arrays needs to be loaded with noble metal iridium oxide to enhance electronic conductivity, but this part of iridium oxide is difficult to participate in the catalytic reaction, so the utilization rate of noble metal is not high

(3) Due to the limited mechanical strength of the titanium mesh, when using it as a current collector and using a flow field with a wider flow channel, the current collector has a poor supporting effect on the membrane electrode, which is not conducive to the contact between the catalytic layer and the solid polymer membrane. Good contact, easy to produce large contact resistance

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