Visual coplanar electrode electrolytic tank device and system

Abstract

The invention provides a visual coplanar electrode electrolytic tank device and system, and relates to the technical field of electrolytic tanks, and the device comprises a first clamp, a transparent sealing assembly, a connecting assembly, an electrode assembly, a supporting piece and a second clamp which are stacked in sequence. The side, close to the first clamp, of the supporting piece is provided with a groove used for containing the electrode assembly and the electrolyte. The electrode assembly comprises a diaphragm, a cathode catalyst layer and an anode catalyst layer. The cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer are coplanar and arranged on the side, close to the first clamp, of the diaphragm at intervals. The cathode catalyst layer comprises a cathode active region and a cathode conductive region which are connected with each other, and the anode catalyst layer comprises an anode active region and an anode conductive region which are connected with each other. And the connecting assembly is used for connecting the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region with an external circuit. The first clamp is provided with an observation window, and the observation window directly faces the cathode active area and the anode active area through the transparent sealing assembly. And the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic tank is comprehensively and reliably studied through the observation window.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electrolytic cell, in particular to a visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Water electrolysis hydrogen production technology is crucial for energy system reform and decarbonization of energy-intensive industries. However, current water electrolytic cell technology still has room for improvement in many aspects, including electrochemical performance, energy conversion efficiency, durability, and cost. Improvements in these aspects require further research on the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell, but the opacity of the electrolytic cell device and limited detection methods make it difficult to reveal the internal operation of the electrolytic cell.

[0003] Existing research methods are difficult to further effectively and deeply study the operation mechanism of the more complex internal structure of the catalytic layer and the porous transport layer, such as the number and distribution of reaction sites on the electrode surface during water electrolysis, and the transport characteristics of reactants and products on the electrode. Moreover, due to the structural design of the traditional electrolytic cell, researchers can only observe the reaction on the cathode or anode side when focusing on one side of the electrolytic cell, resulting in incomplete and less reliable research results.

[0004] In summary, how to comprehensively and reliably study the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell is a technical problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system to comprehensively and reliably study the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows: On the one hand, the present application provides a visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device, comprising a first clamp, a transparent sealing assembly, a connecting assembly, an electrode assembly, a support and a second clamp which are sequentially stacked; The side of the support close to the first clamp is provided with a groove for accommodating the electrode assembly and electrolyte; The electrode assembly comprises a diaphragm, a cathode catalytic layer and an anode catalytic layer, the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer are co-planar and spaced apart on the side of the diaphragm close to the first clamp; the cathode catalytic layer comprises a cathode active area and a cathode conductive area connected to each other, the anode catalytic layer comprises an anode active area and an anode conductive area connected to each other, and the connecting assembly is used to connect the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area with an external circuit; The first clamp is provided with an observation window, and the observation window is opposite to the cathode active area and the anode active area through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0007] Further, the connecting assembly comprises a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece; one end of the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece is connected with the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area respectively, and the other end of the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece is connected with the external circuit.

[0008] Further, the visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device further comprises a first insulating buffer layer, a second insulating buffer layer, a first conductive buffer layer and a second conductive buffer layer. One side of the first conductive buffer layer is connected with the cathode conductive area, and the other side of the first conductive buffer layer is connected with one end of the first connecting piece and the first insulating buffer layer respectively; wherein one end of the first connecting piece is in the same plane as the first insulating buffer layer. One side of the second conductive buffer layer is connected with the anode conductive area, and the other side of the second conductive buffer layer is connected with one end of the second connecting piece and the second insulating buffer layer respectively; wherein one end of the second connecting piece is in the same plane as the second insulating buffer layer.

[0009] Further, the transparent sealing assembly comprises a transparent piece and a sealing piece, the transparent piece is located between the first clamp and the sealing piece, and the sealing piece is located between the transparent piece and the support piece. The sealing piece is provided with a first hollow flow channel, a second hollow flow channel and a third hollow flow channel; one end of the first connecting piece is located in the first hollow flow channel, one end of the second connecting piece is located in the second hollow flow channel, the cathode active area and the anode active area are located in the third hollow flow channel, and the observation window is opposite to the third hollow flow channel through the transparent piece.

[0010] Further, the first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support piece are respectively provided with a first liquid inlet hole and a second liquid outlet hole, and the first inner side wall and the second inner side wall of the groove are respectively provided with a second liquid inlet hole and a first liquid outlet hole; wherein the first outer side wall is parallel to the second outer side wall, and the first inner side wall is parallel to the second inner side wall. The first liquid inlet hole and the second liquid inlet hole are communicated to form a liquid inlet flow channel for injecting the electrolyte into the groove. The first liquid outlet hole and the second liquid outlet hole are communicated to form a liquid outlet flow channel for discharging the electrolyte in the groove.

[0011] Further, the first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support piece are respectively provided with a first sealing hole and a second sealing hole; the first sealing hole is tightly attached to the periphery of the first liquid inlet hole, and the second sealing hole is tightly attached to the periphery of the second liquid outlet hole.

[0012] Further, the diaphragm comprises a first edge and a second edge parallel in the vertical direction, and a third edge and a fourth edge parallel in the horizontal direction; two ends of the first edge are respectively connected to one end of the third edge and one end of the fourth edge perpendicularly, and two ends of the second edge are respectively connected to the other end of the third edge and the other end of the fourth edge perpendicularly. The cathode conductive region extends from the first edge to the middle position of the diaphragm in the horizontal direction, and the anode conductive region extends from the second edge to the middle position of the diaphragm in the horizontal direction, the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region are located on the same horizontal straight line, and the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region are not connected. One end of the cathode active region is connected to one end of the cathode conductive region at the middle position of the diaphragm, and the cathode active region is arranged perpendicularly to the cathode conductive region; one end of the anode active region is connected to one end of the anode conductive region at the middle position of the diaphragm, and the anode active region is arranged perpendicularly to the anode conductive region. Wherein, the cathode conductive region, the anode conductive region, the third edge and the fourth edge are parallel to each other; the cathode active region, the anode active region, the first edge and the second edge are parallel to each other.

[0013] Further, the electrode assembly further comprises a porous transport layer arranged on the cathode active region and the anode active region, and the observation window is opposite to the cathode active region and the anode active region provided with the porous transport layer through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0014] Further, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device further comprises a plurality of fixing members, the first clamp, the transparent sealing assembly, the support member and the second clamp are each provided with a plurality of matching positioning holes, and the fixing members pass through the positioning holes to fixedly connect the first clamp and the second clamp.

[0015] On the other hand, the application also provides a visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell system, which comprises an external circuit and the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, and the external circuit is connected to the connecting assembly in the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following beneficial effects: The application provides a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system, which comprises a first clamp, a transparent sealing assembly, a connecting assembly, an electrode assembly, a support and a second clamp which are sequentially stacked. The electrode assembly comprises a diaphragm, a cathode catalytic layer and an anode catalytic layer, the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer are co-planar and are arranged on the side of the diaphragm close to the first clamp. The cathode catalytic layer comprises a cathode active area and a cathode conductive area which are connected, and the anode catalytic layer comprises an anode active area and an anode conductive area which are connected, and the connecting assembly is used for connecting the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area with an external circuit. The first clamp is provided with an observation window, and the observation window is opposite to the cathode active area and the anode active area through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0017] The visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by the application can further realize in-situ monitoring and detection of the working condition of the internal part of the opaque electrolytic cell device, and effectively and deeply research some key materials and components, such as the catalytic layer. Since the application can be researched in a real water electrolysis system, the results have strong reliability, and the research results obtained by using the application have certain effectiveness for intuitively understanding the real working condition of the internal part of the electrolytic cell. Moreover, compared with the traditional electrolytic cell structure, the application forms co-planar electrodes by arranging the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer on the same side of the diaphragm, and forms the observation window at the corresponding position of the first clamp, so that the reaction conditions of the cathode and the anode can be observed on one side at the same time, thereby comprehensively and reliably researching the internal running mechanism of the electrolytic cell, and economically and efficiently optimizing the electrolytic cell from the perspective of the two electrodes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and superiorities of the embodiments of the application clearer, the following will be combined with the accompanying drawings for the embodiments of the application to make a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but only represents selected embodiments of the application. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the application.

[0019] Figure 1 An explosion schematic view of a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by an embodiment of the application; Figure 2 A structural schematic view of an electrode assembly provided by an embodiment of the application; Figure 3 A connection diagram of an electrode assembly and a connecting assembly provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A structure diagram of a sealing member provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 A structure diagram of a supporting member provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 An explosion diagram of a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 A structure diagram of a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Icon: 10-visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device; 100-first clamp; 110-observation window; 200-transparent sealing assembly; 210-transparent member; 220-sealing member; 221-first hollow flow channel; 222-second hollow flow channel; 223-third hollow flow channel; 300-connecting assembly; 310-first connecting member; 320-second connecting member; 400-electrode assembly; 410-separator; 420-cathode catalytic layer; 421-cathode active area; 422-cathode conductive area; 430-anode catalytic layer; 431-anode active area; 432-anode conductive area; 500-supporting member; 510-groove; 520-first liquid inlet hole; 530-second liquid inlet hole; 540-first liquid outlet hole; 550-second liquid outlet hole; 560-first sealing hole; 570-second sealing hole; 600-second clamp; 710-first insulating buffer layer; 720-second insulating buffer layer; 810-first conductive buffer layer; 820-second conductive buffer layer; 910-fixing member; 920-positioning hole; L1-first edge; L2-second edge; L3-third edge; L4-fourth edge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in combination with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present application, but only represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0022] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the relationship terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between the entities or operations. The term "connection" should be interpreted broadly, for example, it can be a fixed connection, or a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. Some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following examples and features in the examples can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0023] As described in the background, in order to further optimize the electrochemical performance, energy conversion efficiency, durability and cost of the electrolytic cell, it is necessary to deeply study the internal operation mechanism. The existing research schemes mainly include four categories: simulation simulation, non-in-situ / in-situ electrochemical test, neutron imaging technology and X-ray imaging technology, and in-situ micro-scale, high-speed visualization system to observe the special designed electrolytic cell.

[0024] However, the above schemes have certain deficiencies. For example: there is a certain gap between the simulation results of the reaction in the catalyst layer and the experimental results; the in-situ electrochemical test technology makes certain equivalent treatment to the device, and cannot completely reflect the specific reaction inside the device; the neutron imaging technology and the X-ray imaging technology are difficult to be used for intuitive understanding of the evolution process of the bubbles inside the device due to the low resolution. The above methods are only for traditional electrolytic cells. The current non-in-situ / in-situ micro-scale, high-speed visualization system technology is only applied in electrolytic cells with specially designed end plates, current collectors and bipolar plates, and porous transport layers, and three-electrode system electrolytic cells. For example, a method for observing bubbles in a hydrogen production device is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN113445067A. The patent uses a unique light path design to improve the imaging effect, but the observation object is only an electrolytic cell with a slotted end plate, and the patent does not further design the disclosed electrolytic cell to have a deeper understanding of the internal operation of the electrolytic cell. For example, a transparent bipolar plate for studying flow field mass transfer behavior is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN118600475A. However, the research of this scheme is only limited to revealing the operation of the device interface position (such as: the interface between the bipolar plate and the porous transport layer, the interface between the porous transport layer and the catalyst layer, the interface between the catalyst layer and the proton exchange membrane) or the bipolar plate flow field; the non-in-situ three-electrode system electrolytic cell has different systems, and the effectiveness of the research results is questionable.

[0025] Therefore, it is difficult to further effectively and deeply study the operation mechanism of the more complex non-transparent device such as the catalytic layer and the porous transport layer. In addition, due to the structure design of the traditional electrolytic cell, when researchers focus on studying one side of the electrolytic cell, they can only observe the reaction on the cathode or anode side, which leads to the results being not comprehensive and reliable. Therefore, how to comprehensively and reliably study the operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell device is a technical problem to be solved by the person skilled in the art.

[0026] In order to solve the above technical problems, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 The embodiment of the present application provides a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10, which comprises a first clamp 100, a transparent sealing assembly 200, a connecting assembly 300, an electrode assembly 400, a support 500 and a second clamp 600 which are sequentially stacked.

[0027] The side of the support 500 close to the first clamp 100 is provided with a groove 510 for accommodating the electrode assembly 400 and the electrolyte. The electrode assembly 400 comprises a diaphragm 410, a cathode catalytic layer 420 and an anode catalytic layer 430, and the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 are co-planar and spaced apart on the side of the diaphragm 410 close to the first clamp 100.

[0028] The cathode catalytic layer 420 comprises a cathode active area 421 and a cathode conductive area 422 connected with each other, and the anode catalytic layer 430 comprises an anode active area 431 and an anode conductive area 432 connected with each other. The connecting assembly 300 is used for connecting the cathode conductive area 422 and the anode conductive area 432 with an external circuit (not shown in the figure).

[0029] The first clamp 100 is provided with an observation window 110, and the observation window 110 is opposite to the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431 through the transparent sealing assembly 200.

[0030] Based on the above design, the visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 provided by the application can further realize in-situ monitoring and detection of the working condition inside the opaque electrolytic cell device, and effectively and in-depth research on some key materials and components such as the catalytic layer. In view of the problem that the effectiveness of the results of the non-in-situ test (for example, a three-electrode system) in the prior art is doubtful, the application has strong reliability because the research can be carried out in a real water electrolysis system, and the research results obtained by using the application have certain effectiveness for intuitively understanding the real working condition inside the electrolytic cell. Moreover, compared with the traditional electrolytic cell structure, the application forms co-planar electrodes by arranging the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 on the same side of the diaphragm 410, and opening the observation window 110 at the corresponding position of the first clamp 100, so that the reaction conditions of the cathode and the anode can be observed on one side at the same time, thereby comprehensively and reliably researching the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell and economically and efficiently optimizing the electrolytic cell from the perspective of the two electrodes.

[0031] In order to better understand the positional relationship among the cathode catalytic layer 420, the anode catalytic layer 430 and the diaphragm 410 in the application, please refer to Figure 2 As an optional embodiment, the diaphragm 410 includes a first edge L1 and a second edge L2 parallel in the vertical direction, and a third edge L3 and a fourth edge L4 parallel in the horizontal direction.

[0032] The two ends of the first edge L1 are respectively connected to one end of the third edge L3 and the fourth edge L4 perpendicularly, and the two ends of the second edge L2 are respectively connected to the other end of the third edge L3 and the fourth edge L4 perpendicularly.

[0033] On the side of the diaphragm 410 close to the first clamp 100, the cathode conductive area 422 extends from the first edge L1 to the first intermediate position of the diaphragm 410 in the horizontal direction, and the anode conductive area 432 extends from the second edge L2 to the second intermediate position of the diaphragm 410 in the horizontal direction. The cathode conductive area 422 and the anode conductive area 432 are located on the same horizontal straight line, and the cathode conductive area 422 and the anode conductive area 432 are not connected.

[0034] One end of the cathode active area 421 is connected to one end of the cathode conductive area 422 at the first intermediate position of the diaphragm 410, and the cathode active area 421 and the cathode conductive area 422 are arranged perpendicularly, forming an L-shaped cathode catalytic layer 420.

[0035] One end of the anode active area 431 is connected to one end of the anode conductive area 432 at the second intermediate position of the diaphragm 410, and the anode active area 431 and the anode conductive area 432 are arranged perpendicularly, forming an L-shaped anode catalytic layer 430.

[0036] Optionally, the L-shaped cathode catalytic layer 420 and the L-shaped anode catalytic layer 430 are symmetrical about the vertical center line N of the separator 410. In addition, the cathode conductive area 422, the anode conductive area 432, the third edge L3 and the fourth edge L4 are parallel to each other. The cathode active area 421, the anode active area 431, the first edge L1 and the second edge L2 are parallel to each other.

[0037] It should be noted that the first intermediate position of the separator 410 is a position in the cathode active area 421 away from the vertical center line N of the separator 410, and the second intermediate position of the separator 410 is a position in the anode active area 431 away from the vertical center line N of the separator 410.

[0038] On this basis, in order to effectively study the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431 in the electrolytic cell device, the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 can be attached to the separator 410 by spraying, and the shape and size of the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 can be controlled by a mask plate. The mask plate can be processed by laser processing, CNC or photolithography, and the mask plate can be made of titanium, stainless steel, silicon wafer, PDMS, kapton, ETFE, PET, rubber or silicone.

[0039] In addition, the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 can also be attached to the surface of the separator 410 by decal transfer printing. For the study of the ionomer-free catalytic layer, the catalyst can be attached to the surface of the separator 410 by vacuum evaporation plating, ion plating technology or magnetron sputtering technology. The materials of the cathode catalytic layer 420, the anode catalytic layer 430 and the separator 410 can be flexibly changed for different electrolytic cells. For example, for proton exchange membrane electrolytic cells and anion exchange membrane electrolytic cells, ionomer membranes can be prepared on PTFE, ETFE, PET or kapton substrates by spraying or doctor blade coating process to prepare the attachment layer of the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430, so as to ensure that the separator 410 does not deform and affect observation for a long time; for alkaline electrolytic cells, the separator 410 can use a porous separator.

[0040] Further, in order to effectively study the porous transport layer in the electrolytic cell device, the electrode assembly 400 further includes a porous transport layer (not shown in the figure) in the embodiment of the present application. The porous transport layer is arranged on the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431, and the observation window 110 is opposite to the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431 provided with the porous transport layer through the transparent sealing assembly 200.

[0041] Specifically, the straight-through hole porous transport layer with different pore diameters and pore shapes is arranged on the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431, and the effects of different pore diameters and pore shapes on bubble transport are observed through the observation window 110, thereby guiding the design of the porous transport layer. The characteristic structure of the porous transport layer can be prepared by means of photolithography or laser cutting.

[0042] Based on the above design, in view of the problem that the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell device is difficult to further study in the prior art, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 provided by the application can be used for in-depth study of devices with more complex structures such as catalytic layers and porous transport layers. Moreover, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 provided by the application has simple structure and strong flexibility, and can be flexibly designed and adjusted according to the phenomena, devices and mechanisms in the specific electrochemical device to be studied, and only the support 500 needs to be reasonably designed to meet the research requirements. In addition, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 provided by the application has a wide range of application scenarios and can be applied to proton exchange membrane electrolytic cells, other electrolytic cells, fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries, solid-state batteries, and flow batteries.

[0043] In an optional embodiment, referring to Figure 3 The connecting assembly 300 includes a first connecting piece 310 and a second connecting piece 320. One end of the first connecting piece 310 is connected with the cathode conductive area 422, and one end of the second connecting piece 320 is connected with the anode conductive area 432. The other ends of the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320 are both connected with an external circuit to realize circuit conduction of the electrolytic cell and driving of electrochemical reaction.

[0044] Optionally, the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320 can be made of materials with good corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity (such as titanium-based, nickel-based, stainless steel-based, and carbon-based materials) by laser cutting or manual cutting with a tool. For example, the sintered titanium sheet cut by laser is used as the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320.

[0045] In actual application, if the first connecting piece 310 is directly connected with the cathode conductive area 422 and the second connecting piece 320 is directly connected with the anode conductive area 432, circuit breaking is likely to occur, resulting in stop of the electrolytic cell. Therefore, in order to ensure good electrical contact between the connecting pieces and the conductive areas, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 further includes a first insulating buffer layer 710, a second insulating buffer layer 720, a first conductive buffer layer 810, and a second conductive buffer layer 820.

[0046] One side of the first conductive buffer layer 810 is connected with the cathode conductive area 422, and the other side of the first conductive buffer layer 810 is connected with one end of the first connecting piece 310 and the first insulating buffer layer 710 respectively. The one end of the first connecting piece 310 is in the same plane as the first insulating buffer layer 710.

[0047] One side of the second conductive buffer layer 820 is connected with the anode conductive area 432, and the other side of the second conductive buffer layer 820 is connected with one end of the second connecting piece 320 and the second insulating buffer layer 720 respectively. The one end of the second connecting piece 320 is in the same plane as the second insulating buffer layer 720.

[0048] Optionally, the first insulating buffer layer 710 and the second insulating buffer layer 720 can be made of corrosion-resistant soft materials (such as rubber pad, silica gel pad, PTFE, ETFE, PET, kapton). The first conductive buffer layer 810 and the second conductive buffer layer 820 can be made of materials with good electrical conductivity (such as titanium-based, nickel-based, stainless steel-based, carbon-based materials).

[0049] By increasing the insulating buffer layer with soft texture and the more flexible conductive buffer layer, the soft contact connection circuit design is adopted to ensure that the connecting piece and the conductive area can maintain good electrical contact, the electrolytic cell can work normally, and the situation of open circuit can be avoided.

[0050] In addition, in order to improve the sealing performance of the whole device and prevent the electrolyte from entering the non-active area to participate in the reaction, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 In the embodiments of the present application, the transparent sealing assembly 200 includes a transparent piece 210 and a sealing piece 220. The transparent piece 210 is located between the first clamp 100 and the sealing piece 220, and the sealing piece 220 is located between the transparent piece 210 and the support piece 500.

[0051] Optionally, the transparent piece 210 can be a quartz glass plate, an acrylic plate, a cobalt glass, a cobalt oxide glass or an aluminum oxide glass. The material of the sealing piece 220 can be PTFE, kapton, ETFE, PET, a rubber pad or a silica gel pad, and the thickness thereof can be determined according to actual sealing requirements. For example, in the present application, the sealing piece 220 can be made of PTFE with a thickness of 600 µm.

[0052] Further, the first hollow flow channel 221, the second hollow flow channel 222 and the third hollow flow channel 223 are formed on the sealing member 220 by laser processing, custom-made die cutting or manual cutting. As an optional embodiment, one end of the first hollow flow channel 221 is in communication with the edge of the sealing member 220, and the other end of the first hollow flow channel 221 extends horizontally to the center of the sealing member 220. One end of the second hollow flow channel 222 is in communication with the edge of the sealing member 220, and the other end of the second hollow flow channel 222 extends horizontally to the center of the sealing member 220. The first hollow flow channel 221 and the second hollow flow channel 222 are located on the same horizontal straight line and are not in communication. The third hollow flow channel 223 is vertically arranged at the middle position of the sealing member 220, and both ends of the third hollow flow channel 223 are not in communication with the first hollow flow channel 221, the second hollow flow channel 222 and the edge of the sealing member 220.

[0053] Further, one end of the first connecting member 310 is located in the first hollow flow channel 221, one end of the second connecting member 320 is located in the second hollow flow channel 222, the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431 are both located in the third hollow flow channel 223, and the observation window 110 is opposite to the third hollow flow channel 223 through the transparent member 210.

[0054] Based on the above design, the first hollow flow channel 221 and the second hollow flow channel 222 are formed on the sealing member 220 to provide a space for the first connecting member 310 and the second connecting member 320. By forming the third hollow flow channel 223 on the sealing member 220 and arranging the transparent member 210 between the sealing member 220 and the first clamp 100, the transparent and sealed observation window 110 is formed, which not only prevents the electrolyte from overflowing, but also enables the reaction of the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431 to be observed simultaneously from the side of the first clamp 100 through the observation window 110, thereby enabling the design of the electrolytic cell to be comprehensively studied from the perspective of the two electrodes.

[0055] Further, in order to smoothly inject and discharge the electrolyte, please refer to Figure 5 In the embodiment of the present application, the first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support member 500 are provided with the first liquid inlet hole 520 and the second liquid outlet hole 550, respectively, and the first inner side wall and the second inner side wall of the groove 510 are provided with the second liquid inlet hole 530 and the first liquid outlet hole 540, respectively. The first outer side wall of the support member 500 is parallel to the second outer side wall, and the first inner side wall of the groove 510 is parallel to the second inner side wall.

[0056] The first liquid inlet hole 520 and the second liquid inlet hole 530 are in communication to form a liquid inlet flow channel for injecting the electrolyte into the groove 510.

[0057] The first liquid outlet hole 540 and the second liquid outlet hole 550 are communicated to form a liquid outlet flow channel, which is used to discharge the electrolyte in the groove 510.

[0058] In addition, the first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support 500 are further provided with a first sealing hole 560 and a second sealing hole 570, respectively. The first sealing hole 560 is tightly attached to the periphery of the first liquid inlet hole 520, and the second sealing hole 570 is tightly attached to the periphery of the second liquid outlet hole 550. During the electrolytic cell reaction, the sealing element is pressed into the first sealing hole 560 and the second sealing hole 570 to avoid leakage of the electrolyte.

[0059] Optionally, the support 500 can be processed by CNC, injection molding or light-cured 3D printing technology, and the material of the support 500 can be hard resin or polymer material (such as ABS, PLA, etc. resin material, acrylic). The support 500 can be reasonably designed according to the specific research content, and therefore has strong flexibility.

[0060] In order to fix the plurality of components in the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10, please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present application, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 further comprises a plurality of fixing members 910. Optionally, the fixing member 910 comprises a bolt and a nut.

[0061] The first clamp 100, the transparent sealing assembly 200, the support 500 and the second clamp 600 are all provided with a plurality of matched positioning holes 920. The fixing member 910 passes through the positioning hole 920 to fix the first clamp 100 and the second clamp 600. The first clamp 100 and the second clamp 600 can be aluminum end plates, stainless steel plates, titanium plates or butterfly clamps.

[0062] Further, the present application also provides a visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell system, which comprises an external circuit and the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 as described in any one of the preceding embodiments. The external circuit is connected with the connecting assembly 300 in the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10.

[0063] In summary, the embodiment of the present application provides a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system, the device comprising a first clamp, a transparent sealing assembly, a connecting assembly, an electrode assembly, a support and a second clamp arranged in sequence. The support is provided with a groove on the side close to the first clamp for accommodating the electrode assembly and electrolyte. The electrode assembly comprises a diaphragm, a cathode catalytic layer and an anode catalytic layer, the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer being co-planar and arranged on the side of the diaphragm close to the first clamp. The cathode catalytic layer comprises a cathode active area and a cathode conductive area connected with each other, and the anode catalytic layer comprises an anode active area and an anode conductive area connected with each other. The connecting assembly is used to connect the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area with an external circuit. The first clamp is provided with an observation window, and the observation window is opposite to the cathode active area and the anode active area through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0064] The visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by the present application can further realize in-situ monitoring and detection of the working conditions inside the opaque electrolytic cell device, and effective and in-depth research on some key materials and components such as the catalytic layer and the porous transport layer. In view of the problem that the effectiveness of the non-in-situ test results in the prior art is questionable, the present application can be used for research in a real water electrolysis system, so the results have strong reliability, and the research results obtained by using the present application have certain effectiveness for intuitively understanding the real working conditions inside the electrolytic cell. The visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by the present application has simple structure and strong flexibility, and can be flexibly designed and adjusted according to the phenomena, devices and mechanisms in the specific electrochemical device under research, and only the support needs to be reasonably designed to meet the research requirements. Moreover, the visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by the present application has wide application scenarios and can be applied to proton exchange membrane electrolytic cells, other electrolytic cells, fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries, solid-state batteries and flow batteries.

[0065] In addition, compared with the traditional electrolytic cell structure, the present application forms co-planar electrodes by arranging the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer on the same side of the diaphragm, and opens an observation window at the corresponding position of the first clamp, so that the reaction conditions of the cathode and the anode can be observed on one side at the same time, thereby comprehensively and reliably researching the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell and economically and efficiently optimizing the electrolytic cell from the perspective of the two electrodes.

[0066] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not used to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the spirit and principles of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0067] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the application is not limited to the details of the above-exemplified embodiments and that the present application can be implemented in other particular forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the application being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the above description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. No reference herein to any prior art is to be taken as an admission that the application is not entitled to antedate such prior art by virtue of prior application. Any reference to the use of a term in the singular herein shall be understood in the context to describe a particular example or embodiment of the application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application to that particular example or embodiment. Any reference to use of terms in the plural herein shall be understood as describing a particular example or embodiment of the application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application to that particular example or embodiment.

Claims

1. A visual coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device, characterized in that: It includes a first clamp, a transparent sealing component, a connecting component, an electrode component, a support member and a second clamp which are stacked in sequence; A groove for accommodating the electrode assembly and the electrolyte is formed on a side of the support member close to the first fixture; The electrode assembly includes a diaphragm, a cathode catalyst layer, and an anode catalyst layer. The cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer are coplanar and spaced apart on a side of the diaphragm close to the first fixture. The cathode catalyst layer includes a cathode active region and a cathode conductive region connected to each other. The anode catalyst layer includes an anode active region and an anode conductive region connected to each other. The connecting assembly is used to connect the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region to an external circuit. The first fixture is provided with an observation window, and the observation window faces the cathode active area and the anode active area through the transparent sealing component.

2. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting assembly includes a first connecting member and a second connecting member; one end of the first connecting member and the second connecting member are respectively connected to the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area, and the other end of the first connecting member and the second connecting member are both connected to the external circuit.

3. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device further includes a first insulating buffer layer, a second insulating buffer layer, a first conductive buffer layer, and a second conductive buffer layer; One side of the first conductive buffer layer is connected to the cathode conductive region, and the other side of the first conductive buffer layer is respectively connected to one end of the first connector and the first insulating buffer layer; wherein the one end of the first connector and the first insulating buffer layer are located in the same plane; One side of the second conductive buffer layer is connected to the anode conductive area, and the other side of the second conductive buffer layer is respectively connected to one end of the second connector and the second insulating buffer layer; wherein, one end of the second connector and the second insulating buffer layer are located in the same plane.

4. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transparent sealing assembly includes a transparent member and a sealing member, wherein the transparent member is located between the first clamp and the sealing member, and the sealing member is located between the transparent member and the supporting member; The sealing component is provided with a first hollow flow channel, a second hollow flow channel and a third hollow flow channel; one end of the first connecting component is located in the first hollow flow channel, one end of the second connecting component is located in the second hollow flow channel, the cathode active area and the anode active area are both located in the third hollow flow channel, and the observation window is facing the third hollow flow channel through the transparent component.

5. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support member are respectively provided with a first liquid inlet hole and a second liquid outlet hole, and the first inner side wall and the second inner side wall of the groove are respectively provided with a second liquid inlet hole and a first liquid outlet hole; wherein the first outer side wall is parallel to the second outer side wall, and the first inner side wall is parallel to the second inner side wall; The first liquid inlet hole and the second liquid inlet hole are connected to form a liquid inlet channel for injecting the electrolyte into the groove; The first liquid outlet hole and the second liquid outlet hole are connected to form a liquid outlet channel for discharging the electrolyte in the groove.

6. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first outer wall and the second outer wall of the support member are further provided with a first sealing hole and a second sealing hole respectively; the first sealing hole is closely attached to the periphery of the first liquid inlet hole, and the second sealing hole is closely attached to the periphery of the second liquid outlet hole.

7. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diaphragm includes a first edge and a second edge parallel in the vertical direction, and a third edge and a fourth edge parallel in the horizontal direction; two ends of the first edge are respectively perpendicularly connected to one end of the third edge and the fourth edge, and two ends of the second edge are respectively perpendicularly connected to the other end of the third edge and the fourth edge; The cathode conductive region extends horizontally from the first edge to a first middle position of the diaphragm, and the anode conductive region extends horizontally from the second edge to a second middle position of the diaphragm, and the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region are located on the same horizontal straight line and are not connected; One end of the cathode active region is connected to one end of the cathode conductive region located at a first middle position of the diaphragm, and the cathode active region is arranged perpendicularly to the cathode conductive region; one end of the anode active region is connected to one end of the anode conductive region located at a second middle position of the diaphragm, and the anode active region is arranged perpendicularly to the anode conductive region; The cathode conductive area, the anode conductive area, the third edge and the fourth edge are parallel to each other; the cathode active area, the anode active area, the first edge and the second edge are parallel to each other.

8. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode assembly further includes a porous transmission layer, which is disposed on the cathode active area and the anode active area. The observation window faces the cathode active area and the anode active area provided with the porous transmission layer through the transparent sealing assembly.

9. The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device also includes multiple fixing parts. The first clamp, transparent sealing assembly, support member and second clamp are all provided with multiple matching positioning holes. The fixing parts pass through the positioning holes to fix the first clamp and the second clamp in connection.

10. A visual coplanar electrode electrolytic cell system, characterized in that: The visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell system comprises an external circuit and the visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the external circuit is connected to a connecting component in the visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device.

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