A visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system

Abstract

The application provides a visual planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system, relates to the technical field of electrolytic cell, and the device 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 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 coplanar 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 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 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. The internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell is comprehensively and reliably researched through the observation window.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electrolytic cell technology, and more specifically, to a visual coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device and system. Background Technology

[0002] Water electrolysis for hydrogen production is crucial for energy system reform and the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries. However, current water electrolyzer technology still has room for improvement in many aspects, including electrochemical performance, energy conversion efficiency, durability, and cost. Improvements in these areas require further research into the internal operating mechanisms of the electrolyzer, but the opacity of the electrolyzer devices and limited detection methods make revealing the internal workings of the electrolyzer a major challenge.

[0003] Existing research methods struggle to conduct effective and in-depth studies on the operational mechanisms of more complex, opaque devices such as catalyst layers and porous transport layers. For example, they may focus on the number and distribution of reaction sites on the electrode surface during water electrolysis, and the transport characteristics of reactants and products within the electrodes. Furthermore, due to the structural design of traditional electrolytic cells, researchers focusing on one side of the cell can only observe the reaction at the cathode or anode, resulting in incomplete and unreliable research results.

[0004] In summary, how to conduct a comprehensive and reliable study of the internal operating mechanism of an electrolytic cell is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a visual coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device and system for a comprehensive and reliable study of the internal operating mechanism of the electrolytic cell.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this application is as follows:

[0007] On the one hand, this application provides a visual coplanar electrode electrolysis cell device, including a first clamp, a transparent sealing assembly, a connecting assembly, an electrode assembly, a support member, and a second clamp arranged in sequence;

[0008] The support member has a groove on the side near the first clamp for accommodating the electrode assembly and electrolyte;

[0009] The electrode assembly includes a diaphragm, a cathode catalytic layer, and an anode catalytic layer. The cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer are coplanar and spaced apart on the side of the diaphragm near the first clamp. The cathode catalytic layer includes a cathode active region and a cathode conductive region connected together. The anode catalytic layer includes an anode active region and an anode conductive region connected together. The connecting assembly is used to connect the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region to an external circuit.

[0010] The first clamp is provided with an observation window, which is opposite to the cathode active area and the anode active area through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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;

[0013] 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 and the first insulating buffer layer are located in the same plane;

[0014] 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 and the second insulating buffer layer are located in the same plane.

[0015] 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;

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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;

[0018] The first liquid inlet hole and the second liquid inlet hole are communicated to form a liquid inlet flow channel, which is used for injecting the electrolyte into the groove;

[0019] 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.

[0020] Further, the first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support member are further provided with a first sealing hole and a second sealing hole, respectively; the first sealing hole is close to the periphery of the first liquid inlet hole, and the second sealing hole is close to the periphery of the second liquid outlet hole.

[0021] 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, 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.

[0022] The cathode conductive area extends from the first edge to the middle position of the diaphragm in the horizontal direction, and the anode conductive area extends from the second edge to the middle position of the diaphragm in the horizontal direction; the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area are located on the same horizontal straight line, and the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area are not connected.

[0023] One end of the cathode active area is connected to one end of the cathode conductive area at the middle position of the diaphragm, and the cathode active area is arranged perpendicularly to the cathode conductive area; one end of the anode active area is connected to one end of the anode conductive area at the middle position of the diaphragm, and the anode active area is arranged perpendicularly to the anode conductive area.

[0024] 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.

[0025] Further, the electrode assembly further comprises a porous transport layer arranged on the cathode active area and the anode active area; the observation window is directly opposite to the cathode active area and the anode active area provided with the porous transport layer through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0026] 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 provided with a plurality of matched positioning holes; the fixing members pass through the positioning holes to fixedly connect the first clamp and the second clamp.

[0027] In another aspect, the application also provides a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell system, which comprises an external circuit and the visual 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 visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] 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 support is provided with a groove for accommodating the electrode assembly and electrolyte on the side close to the first clamp. The electrode assembly comprises a diaphragm, a cathode catalytic layer and an anode catalytic layer, and 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, and the anode catalytic layer comprises an anode active area and an anode conductive area connected to each other, 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.

[0030] The visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by the application can further realize in-situ monitoring and detection of the working conditions inside 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 conditions inside the electrolytic cell. Moreover, compared with the traditional electrolytic cell structure, the application sets the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer on the same side of the diaphragm to form a co-planar electrode, and sets 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. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present application, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0032] Figure 1 An explosion schematic view of a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 A structural schematic view of an electrode assembly provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 A connection schematic view of an electrode assembly and a connecting assembly provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 A structural schematic view of a sealing member provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5 A structural schematic view of a supporting member provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 An explosion schematic view of a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 7 A structural schematic view of a visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Icon: 10-visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device; 100-first clamp; 110-observation window; 200-transparent sealing assembly; 210-transparent piece; 220-sealing piece; 221-first hollow flow channel; 222-second hollow flow channel; 223-third hollow flow channel; 300-connection assembly; 310-first connecting piece; 320-second connecting piece; 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 piece; 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 piece; 920-positioning hole; L1-first edge; L2-second edge; L3-third edge; L4-fourth edge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in combination with the accompanying drawings in 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.

[0041] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the relational terms such as first and second and the like are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. The term "connection" should be interpreted broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral connection; it can be direct connection, or indirect connection through intermediate medium.

[0042] Some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0043] 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 observation of specially designed electrolytic cell technology.

[0044] 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 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 questionable effectiveness of the research results due to different systems.

[0045] Therefore, it is difficult to further effectively and deeply study the operation mechanism inside the more complex and opaque devices such as the catalyst layer and the porous transport layer. In addition, due to the structural 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, resulting in incomplete and less reliable research results. Therefore, how to comprehensively and reliably study the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell device is a technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0046] To solve the above technical problems, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 The embodiment of the present application provides a visualized 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.

[0047] The support 500 is provided with a groove 510 for accommodating the electrode assembly 400 and electrolyte on the side close to the first clamp 100.

[0048] 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).

[0049] The first clamp 100 is provided with an observation window 110, which is opposite to the cathode active area 421 and the anode active area 431 through the transparent sealing assembly 200.

[0050] Based on the above design, the visual co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 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. 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 present application has strong reliability because the research can be carried out in a real electrolytic water system, and the research results obtained by using the present 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 present application can simultaneously observe the reaction conditions of the cathode and the anode on one side by arranging the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 on the same side of the diaphragm 410 to form co-planar electrodes and arranging the observation window 110 at the corresponding position of the first clamp 100, so that the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell can be comprehensively and reliably researched, and the electrolytic cell can be economically and efficiently optimized from the perspective of the two electrodes.

[0051] 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 present application, please refer to Figure 2 As an optional embodiment, the diaphragm 410 comprises 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.

[0052] The two ends of the first edge L1 are respectively connected with 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 with the other end of the third edge L3 and the fourth edge L4 perpendicularly.

[0053] 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. Among them, 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.

[0054] One end of the cathode active area 421 is connected to one end of the cathode conductive area 422 located at the first intermediate position of the diaphragm 410, and the cathode active area 421 is vertically arranged with the cathode conductive area 422 to form an L-shaped cathode catalytic layer 420.

[0055] One end of the anode active area 431 is connected to one end of the anode conductive area 432 located at the second intermediate position of the diaphragm 410, and the anode active area 431 is vertically arranged with the anode conductive area 432 to form an L-shaped anode catalytic layer 430.

[0056] 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 diaphragm 410. And 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.

[0057] It should be noted that the first intermediate position of the diaphragm 410 is the position of the cathode active area 421 away from the vertical center line N of the diaphragm 410, and the second intermediate position of the diaphragm 410 is the position of the anode active area 431 away from the vertical center line N of the diaphragm 410.

[0058] 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 diaphragm 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. Among them, the processing method of the mask plate can adopt laser processing, CNC or photoetching, and the material of the mask plate can be titanium, stainless steel, silicon wafer, PDMS, kapton, ETFE, PET, rubber and silicone.

[0059] In addition, the way in which the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 are attached to the surface of the diaphragm 410 can also use the method of decal transfer. For the catalytic layer without ionomer, vacuum evaporation plating, ion plating technology or magnetron sputtering technology can be used to attach the catalyst to the surface of the diaphragm 410. The materials of the cathode catalytic layer 420, the anode catalytic layer 430 and the diaphragm 410 can be flexibly changed for different electrolytic cells. For example, for proton exchange membrane electrolytic cells and anion exchange membrane electrolytic cells, ionomer films can be prepared on PTFE, ETFE, PET or kapton substrates using spray coating or blade coating process as the attachment layer of the cathode catalytic layer 420 and the anode catalytic layer 430 to ensure that the diaphragm 410 does not deform and affect observation for a long time; for alkaline electrolytic cells, the diaphragm 410 can use a porous diaphragm.

[0060] Further, in order to effectively study the porous transport layer in the electrolytic cell device, in the embodiment of the present application, the electrode assembly 400 further comprises a porous transport layer (not shown in the figure). 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.

[0061] Specifically, a 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 influence of different pore diameters and pore shapes on bubble transport is compared 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 photolithography or laser cutting.

[0062] Based on the above design, in order to solve 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 present application can be used to deeply study the devices with more complex structures such as catalytic layer and porous transport layer. Moreover, the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 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 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 present 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, flow batteries and the like.

[0063] In an alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 3The connecting assembly 300 comprises 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, one end of the second connecting piece 320 is connected with the anode conductive area 432, and the other ends of the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320 are connected with an external circuit to realize circuit conduction of the electrolytic cell and drive electrochemical reaction.

[0064] Optionally, the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320 can be made of a material (such as titanium-based, nickel-based, stainless steel-based, and carbon-based material) with good corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity, and are cut by laser cutting or manually cut by a tool. For example, the sintered titanium sheet cut by laser cutting is used as the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320 in the present application.

[0065] In actual application, it is found that 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, the circuit is easy to be disconnected, resulting in the stop of the electrolytic cell. Therefore, in order to ensure that the connecting piece and the conductive area maintain good electrical contact, the visual coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 further comprises 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 in the embodiment of the present application.

[0066] 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. One end of the first connecting piece 310 is located in the same plane as the first insulating buffer layer 710.

[0067] 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. One end of the second connecting piece 320 is located in the same plane as the second insulating buffer layer 720.

[0068] Optionally, the first insulating buffer layer 710 and the second insulating buffer layer 720 can be made of a soft material (such as rubber pad, silica gel pad, PTFE, ETFE, PET, and kapton) with good corrosion resistance. The first conductive buffer layer 810 and the second conductive buffer layer 820 can be made of a material (such as titanium-based, nickel-based, stainless steel-based, and carbon-based material) with good electrical conductivity.

[0069] By adding the insulating buffer layer with soft texture and the 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 circuit disconnection can be avoided.

[0070] In addition, in order to improve the sealing of the entire 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 embodiment of the present application, the transparent sealing assembly 200 comprises 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.

[0071] 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 gasket or a silicone gasket, 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.

[0072] 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 piece 220 by laser processing, custom knife mold 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 piece 220, and the other end of the first hollow flow channel 221 extends horizontally to the center of the sealing piece 220. One end of the second hollow flow channel 222 is in communication with the edge of the sealing piece 220, and the other end of the second hollow flow channel 222 extends horizontally to the center of the sealing piece 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 piece 220, and both ends thereof are not in communication with the first hollow flow channel 221, the second hollow flow channel 222 and the edge of the sealing piece 220.

[0073] In addition, one end of the first connecting piece 310 is located in the first hollow flow channel 221, one end of the second connecting piece 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 piece 210.

[0074] Based on the above design, the first connecting piece 310 and the second connecting piece 320 are provided with a placement space by opening the first hollow flow channel 221 and the second hollow flow channel 222 on the sealing piece 220. By opening the third hollow flow channel 223 on the sealing piece 220 and arranging the transparent piece 210 between the sealing piece 220 and the first clamp 100, a 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 on 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.

[0075] 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 piece 500 are respectively provided with a first liquid inlet hole 520 and a second liquid outlet hole 550, and the first inner side wall and the second inner side wall of the groove 510 are respectively provided with a second liquid inlet hole 530 and a first liquid outlet hole 540. Among them, the first outer side wall of the support piece 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.

[0076] The first liquid inlet hole 520 and the second liquid inlet hole 530 form a liquid inlet flow channel, which is used to inject the electrolyte into the groove 510.

[0077] The first liquid outlet hole 540 and the second liquid outlet hole 550 form a liquid outlet flow channel, which is used to discharge the electrolyte in the groove 510.

[0078] In addition, the first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support piece 500 are also respectively provided with a first sealing hole 560 and a second sealing hole 570. Among them, 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 prevent the electrolyte from leaking.

[0079] Optionally, the processing method of the support piece 500 can adopt CNC, injection molding or light curing 3D printing technology, and the material of the support piece 500 can be hard resin or polymer material (such as ABS, PLA, etc. Resin material, acrylic). The support piece 500 can be reasonably designed according to the specific research content, so it has strong flexibility.

[0080] In order to fix the plurality of components in the visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device 10, please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present application, the visualized coplanar electrode electrolytic cell device 10 further comprises a plurality of fixing pieces 910. Optionally, the fixing piece 910 comprises a bolt and a nut.

[0081] The first clamp 100, the transparent sealing assembly 200, the support 500 and the second clamp 600 are each provided with a plurality of matched positioning holes 920. The fixing member 910 passes through the positioning holes 920 to fixedly connect 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.

[0082] Further, the embodiment of 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 according to 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.

[0083] In summary, the embodiment of the present application provides a visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device and system. The device 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 support is provided with a groove on a 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 are co-planar and are arranged on a side of the diaphragm close to the first clamp. The cathode catalytic layer comprises a cathode active region and a cathode conductive region which are connected, and the anode catalytic layer comprises an anode active region and an anode conductive region which are connected. The connecting assembly is used to connect the cathode conductive region and the anode conductive region with an external circuit. The first clamp is provided with an observation window which is opposite to the cathode active region and the anode active region through the transparent sealing assembly.

[0084] The visualized 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 effectively and deeply research 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 doubtful, the present application has strong reliability because it can be researched in a real water electrolysis system. The research results obtained by using the present application have certain effectiveness for intuitively understanding the real working conditions inside the electrolytic cell. The visualized 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 to be researched. Only the support needs to be reasonably designed to meet the research requirements. Moreover, the visualized 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.

[0085] In addition, compared with the traditional electrolytic cell structure, the application forms a coplanar electrode by arranging the cathode catalytic layer and the anode catalytic layer on the same side of the diaphragm, and opening 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 simultaneously on one side, thereby comprehensively and reliably studying the internal operation mechanism of the electrolytic cell, and economically and efficiently optimizing the electrolytic cell from the perspective of the two electrodes.

[0086] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the application and is not intended to limit the application. For those skilled in the art, the application can have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the spirit and principles of the application shall be included in the protection scope of the application.

[0087] It is obvious for those skilled in the art that the application is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the application can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the application. Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the application is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be included in the application. Any reference signs in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claims involved.

Claims

1. A visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device, characterized by, The device 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 support is provided with a groove on one 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 are coplanar and are arranged on one 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, the anode catalytic layer comprises an anode active area and an anode conductive area connected with each other, 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.

2. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 1, wherein, 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.

3. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 2, wherein, The 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 and the first insulating buffer layer are located in the same plane; 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 and the second insulating buffer layer are located in the same plane.

4. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 2, wherein, 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; 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.

5. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 1, wherein, First and second outer side walls of the support are provided with first and second liquid inlet holes respectively, and first and second inner side walls of the groove are provided with second and first liquid outlet holes respectively; wherein the first and second outer side walls are parallel, and the first and second inner side walls are parallel; The first and second liquid inlet holes are communicated to form a liquid inlet flow channel for injecting the electrolyte into the groove; The first and second liquid outlet holes are communicated to form a liquid outlet flow channel for discharging the electrolyte in the groove.

6. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 5, wherein, The first outer side wall and the second outer side wall of the support member are further provided with a first sealing hole and a second sealing hole, respectively; the first sealing hole is close to the periphery of the first liquid inlet hole, and the second sealing hole is close to the periphery of the second liquid outlet hole.

7. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 1, wherein, 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 area extends from the first edge to a first intermediate position of the diaphragm in the horizontal direction, and the anode conductive area extends from the second edge to a second intermediate position of the diaphragm in the horizontal direction; the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area are located on the same horizontal straight line, and the cathode conductive area and the anode conductive area are not connected. One end of the cathode active area is connected to one end of the cathode conductive area at the first intermediate position of the diaphragm, and the cathode active area is arranged perpendicularly to the cathode conductive area; one end of the anode active area is connected to one end of the anode conductive area at the second intermediate position of the diaphragm, and the anode active area is arranged perpendicularly to the anode conductive area. 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 visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 1, wherein, The electrode assembly further comprises a porous transport layer arranged on the cathode active area and the anode active area; the observation window is opposite to the cathode active area and the anode active area provided with the porous transport layer through the transparent sealing assembly.

9. The visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device of claim 1, wherein, 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 provided with a plurality of matched positioning holes, and the fixing members pass through the positioning holes to fixedly connect the first clamp and the second clamp.

10. A visualizing co-planar electrode electrolytic cell system characterized by, The visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell system comprises an external circuit and the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device according to any one of claims 1-9, and the external circuit is connected to the connecting assembly in the visualized co-planar electrode electrolytic cell device.

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