Apparatus and method for performing non-foaming electrolysis

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing foam-free electrolysis. The apparatus comprises at least two gas-permeable electrodes 1 and 2, with a membrane 3 embedded between these electrodes. In the apparatus, an array of numerous fibers spread on the membrane 3 is incorporated into the membrane 3 and / or applied to one or both sides of the membrane 3, wherein at least 10 of these fibers are hollow fibers 4, which extend at least to the edge of the membrane 3 and have open ends on one or both sides. The outer sheath of the hollow fibers 4 is configured to be partially permeable to a liquid medium that can be introduced into the hollow fibers 4 under pressure through the open ends. The proposed apparatus and related method enable the cost-effective realization of an electrolytic cell for water electrolysis and its scaling for industrial applications.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus that can be used for electrolysis and / or synthesis, particularly electrochemical synthesis, or can be used as a fuel cell, and comprises at least two electrodes with a membrane embedded between them. The present invention also relates to a method for carrying out electrolysis using the proposed apparatus.

[0002] For example, when producing hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water, an electrolytic cell is used that has at least two electrodes with a partially permeable membrane placed between them. In this case, various methods can be used for water electrolysis, in particular PEM electrolysis (PEM: Proton Exchange Membrane), AEM electrolysis (AEM: Anion Exchange Membrane), and alkaline electrolysis. In this case, a particular difficulty is to avoid the generation of bubbles on the catalyst layer, which limits the efficiency of electrolysis. In the case of a sandwich-type configuration in which a membrane is embedded between two electrodes (also called a zero-gap electrolytic cell or zero-gap electrolytic device), if the membrane is properly formed and water is supplied through the membrane, bubble generation can be avoided. [Background technology]

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a zero-gap electrolytic cell in which a porous membrane is immersed in a reservoir containing a liquid electrolyte, thereby drawing the liquid electrolyte into the membrane between two electrodes by capillary force. This technique is also called capillary-fed electrolysis (CFE). During water electrolysis, hydrogen and oxygen exit through their respective gas-permeable electrodes without generating bubbles. However, this technique limits the capillary rise height in the porous membrane and, therefore, the size of the electrolytic cell. Consequently, especially if the membrane pores are large, it is not possible to reliably operate an electrolytic device of sufficiently large dimensions, for example, 2 meters in height. On the other hand, if the pores are small, the inflow of large amounts of water is limited, which similarly limits the maximum size of the electrolytic device. A further difficulty in this concept lies in thermal management due to the reduced heat dissipation by water. Furthermore, this concept is also limited to membranes made of wettable (hydrophilic) materials, because otherwise only negative capillary action occurs.

[0004] Patent document 2 also describes a method for operating an electrolytic cell in which liquid water is passively supplied to a membrane. In this method, a porous membrane is used which is further equipped with a channel structure that distributes water drawn in from the membrane via capillary force into the interior of the membrane.

[0005] Patent Document 3 describes an electrolytic cell and electrolysis method in which the liquid to be decomposed is actively pumped into the membrane through a channel structure formed within the membrane. In this case, the liquid is distributed through this channel structure, which consists of microchannels and / or nanochannels within the membrane. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 056606 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 2765224 [Patent Document 3] European Patent Application Publication No. 2463407 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for performing bubble-free electrolysis of water, which can be operated cost-effectively and scaled up. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The above problems are solved by the apparatus and method described in claims 1 and 11 of the patent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the apparatus and method are the subject matter of the dependent claims or can be derived not only from the detailed description below but also from the exemplary embodiments.

[0009] The proposed apparatus for electrolysis, also suitable for synthesis or as a fuel cell, comprises at least two gas-permeable electrodes with a membrane embedded between them. In other words, it is a so-called zero-gap electrolytic cell. In this case, one or more additional catalyst layers may be embedded between the membrane and the electrodes, as is known. In the proposed apparatus, an array of numerous fibers spread across the membrane, preferably in the form of a mesh, is incorporated into the membrane and / or applied to one or both sides of the membrane. At least 10 of these fibers extend to the edge of the membrane and have open ends on one or both sides, through which a liquid medium can be introduced into the hollow fibers. The sheath of the hollow fibers is partially permeable to this liquid medium to be electrolyzed. Thus, the hollow fibers form a hollow fiber membrane. This medium may be, for example, water or an aqueous solution.

[0010] In this patent application, a fiber mesh is interpreted as an arrangement of regularly intersecting or crossing fibers. The fiber mesh may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The mesh preferably extends over at least the entire or substantially the entire (length and width) of the membrane region located between the two electrodes. If the membrane is entirely between the electrodes, the mesh preferably extends over the entire or substantially the entire membrane. Hollow fibers are arranged as an arrangement of fibers or as a mesh such that the introduction of a liquid medium results in at least substantially uniform distribution of the medium across the entire membrane region or the entire membrane. In this case, the membrane itself preferably does not have pores through which the medium can pass.

[0011] In the proposed method for performing electrolysis using such a device, the voltage required for electrolysis is applied between the two electrodes using known methods, and the medium to be decomposed is introduced into the hollow fiber under pressure.

[0012] Therefore, in the proposed apparatus and related methods, the medium to be decomposed, such as water, is pumped into the membrane or to the electrode boundary via hollow channels provided in the hollow fibers, not with the assistance of capillary force, but by appropriate pressurization, such as a specific water pressure. In this case, hollow fibers having a larger diameter than the pores corresponding to those in the conventional capillary action can be used. In the conventional CFE technique, a lifting height of 30 cm can barely be achieved beyond a capillary radius of 30 μm, but this limitation is not imposed in the proposed apparatus and related methods. In this case, a significantly larger and higher lifting height can be achieved by adjusting the pressurization, and therefore stack sizes in the range of 1 meter to 2 meters or more can be achieved.

[0013] In this case, the proposed apparatus can be used, in particular, for PEM electrolysis, AEM electrolysis, or alkaline electrolysis. For this to be possible, it is simply necessary to appropriately select materials for the electrodes and membranes, and, in some cases, to supply the liquid electrolyte through a hollow channel. Therefore, typical membrane electrolysis materials that can be used for membranes in the proposed apparatus and method are membrane materials already used in PEM and AEM, such as perfluorosulfonic acid. Of course, other materials suitable for membrane electrolysis can also be used. This apparatus is also suitable for further electrochemical processes requiring membranes, such as solid ammonia synthesis (SSAS), methanol synthesis, methanol fuel cells, chlorine-alkaline electrolysis, ODC processes, or the RODOSAN® process.

[0014] The morphology and thickness of the membrane can be modified according to the desired cell or stack design. Here, for example, rectangular or circular membranes can be used. Hollow fiber mesh can be incorporated into the membrane in conventional membrane manufacturing methods, or it can be applied to the membrane in a bonding process, for example, by being attached to the surface of the membrane, or as an intermediate layer between two thin membranes (with or without a catalyst layer), or incorporated into the membrane. When applied to the outside of the membrane, this is preferably done to the liquid decomposition electrode.

[0015] In the proposed mesh, the type of weave or knitting pattern and the spacing between fibers can be flexibly selected, and these are adjusted to ensure sufficient proton or anion transport in the membrane matrix and uniform wetting of the membrane by the medium introduced into the hollow fibers. In this case, the fiber array or mesh made of fibers may consist entirely of hollow fibers or a mixture of hollow and solid fibers, where the solid fibers support the stability of the membrane or simply ensure the composite of the fabric. In the array or mesh, there may be one or more preferred directions for the hollow fibers. The ends of the hollow fibers may terminate at the edge of the membrane, protrude from the membrane, or terminate inside the membrane, where the latter applies to only one end of the hollow fiber. Fibers can be bundled together inside or outside the membrane to form fiber bundles.

[0016] The hollow fibers themselves can be used with an inner diameter between 0.5 μm and 200 μm. The shape of the hollow fibers does not have to be circular; they may be elliptical or angular. For non-circular fibers, the inner diameter is interpreted as the smallest diameter, i.e., for example, in the case of an elliptical inner cross-section, it should be interpreted as the diameter measured along the short semi-axis. The outer shell or sheath of the hollow fiber preferably has a wall thickness between 0.2 μm and 50 μm. When used for reverse osmosis, the wall thickness is preferably in the range of 50 μm to 250 μm. In this case, the outer shell preferably consists of a more porous support layer with a thickness of about 50 μm to 250 μm and a denser barrier layer with a thickness of only about 50 nm to 250 nm, and optionally includes one or more intermediate layers.

[0017] The outer shell must be partially permeable to the introduced medium, such as water. Therefore, the outer shell must have good permeability characteristics for this medium. In this case, the permeability value (permeability coefficient / wall thickness) is preferably 1 × 10⁻⁶, depending on the design (fiber density per unit area, fiber volume / membrane volume, fiber diameter, differential pressure). -4 cm 3 / hour / bar / cm 2 ~1 × 10 5 cm3 / hour / bar / cm 2 (equivalent to 360 m / sec / Pa to 3.6×10 11 m / sec / Pa) within the range, where cm 3 refers to the amount of water passing through the wall, cm 2This refers to the surface area of ​​the hollow fibers. The fiber density of the hollow fibers is preferably in the range of 1 to 1000 fibers per cm (along the cross-section in one direction of the membrane). The outer shell may also have membrane properties (hollow fiber membrane). If the material of the outer shell does not have permeability properties suitable for the medium, the outer shell must be perforated and / or configured to be microporous or nanoporous so that a sufficient amount of the medium can flow out. Organic or inorganic materials can be used as materials for the hollow fibers (and solid fibers, if present). Examples include polysulfone, polyethersulfone, carbon, silica-based materials, or the same materials used for the membrane itself, such as Nafion. Basically, a wide range of synthetic and natural polymers, as well as inorganic materials and hybrid materials (inorganic-organic hybrid polymers), can be used. For example, in addition to the materials already mentioned, polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose acetate, copper ammonium rayon, elastin, ORMOCER® compounds, polyvinyl (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), polyimide, polyamide, silicone-based materials, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cellulose acetate, polyolefin, sulfonated polyphenylene, polyvinyl fluoride, or polyphenylene sulfide can also be used. The hollow fiber material must be adapted to its respective environment (PEM / AEM environment, acidic or alkaline), and also to the corresponding mechanical and chemical stability within the operating temperature range of the device. The hollow fibers should ideally be durable against the solvents and temperatures in which they are used, and sufficiently impermeable to the components used in film manufacturing, so that they do not unintentionally fill the film during the manufacturing process. The hollow fibers should also be sufficiently stable so that they do not become completely crushed under pressure during the manufacturing of the catalyst coating film or under pressure within the assembled cell or stack.To avoid delamination, it is desirable that the coefficient of expansion of the fibers be similar to that of the base material.

[0018] In particularly advantageous embodiments, the hollow fibers are selected to have a specific filtering function that prevents catalyst poisons and other harmful substances to the membrane from leaking out of the hollow fibers. In this case, the pore size in the hollow fiber shell (hollow fiber membrane) determines whether it is effective in microfiltration (greater than 100 nm), ultrafiltration (2 nm to 100 nm), or nanofiltration (less than 2 nm). Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration can retain undissolved substances / fine particles and macromolecular substances / substances with high molecular weight (see also nominal molecular weight cutoff). In the field of nanofiltration where it is usefully used, it is even possible to filter out dissolved molecules and heavy metal ions. This prevents potentially hazardous substances from reaching the membrane or electrochemically active surface, or even the catalyst layer. For example, only a small amount of heavy metal ions reach the active region, thus preventing decomposition processes catalyzed by these ions. An overview of the manufacturing and use of hollow fiber membranes for nanofiltration can be found, for example, in Sewerin, T. et al., J. Advances and Applications of Hollow Fiber Nanofiltration Membranes: A Review. Membranes 2021, 11, 890.

[0019] Particularly advantageous is the filtering function, which filters out metal ions, especially iron (Fe), through the pore size in the hollow fiber shell. 3+Trivalent metal ions such as those are selected to be retained by the outer casing of the hollow fibers. This is because these metal ions are crucial for the membrane decomposition process as they can catalyze certain harmful reactions. In electrolysis, these metal ions are caused, among other things, by water circulation. At that time, high purity water or alkaline liquid may corrode the periphery (such as pipes) through the leaching process. In the present embodiment, that is, due to the corresponding configuration of the hollow fiber membrane, these metal ions are prevented from being introduced into the (PEM) membrane or the catalyst layer through water circulation. Thereby, the lifespan of the device is critically extended.

[0020] Therefore, the porosity of the hollow fibers can be selected according to the potential water pollutants to be filtered. At high pressures, a method similar to reverse osmosis where the permeation membrane has no through holes is also possible. The transport of ions and molecules is carried out through diffusion (dissolution-diffusion model), and the pollutant molecules remain. In this way, it is considered that even direct seawater electrolysis can be achieved without the need for an additional desalination plant.

[0021] The use of a mesh made of fibers at least partially composed of hollow fibers can be made using techniques already known for manufacturing fiber fabrics. Here, currently in the field of PEM electrolysis, membranes reinforced by the assistance of fabrics made of solid fibers that can better withstand mechanical loads are already in use. This fabric support membrane made of solid fibers has already been industrially manufactured and is used in both fuel cell applications and electrolysis. Correspondingly, in such fabrics, the solid fibers can be replaced with hollow fibers during manufacturing, or at least partially replaced with hollow fibers, without the need to change the current manufacturing process. The hollow fibers themselves are also already industrially used, for example, as hollow fiber membranes for water purification. Therefore, the hollow fibers and the mesh of the membranes used in the proposed device can be manufactured cost-effectively and last sufficiently long.

[0022] The liquid medium, especially water, can be supplied to the membrane of the proposed device from one or more edge sections or sides of the membrane, or it can be supplied over a wide range across the entire edge of the membrane. The supply can be carried out by individual connection of hollow fibers, or it can also be carried out by a combined inflow. When connecting the hollow fibers, for example, a membrane seal can be provided inside so that the edge of the membrane where the hollow fibers open can reach a reservoir that can be under pressure. This may be a void embossed in a bipolar plate that is sealed on the outside (outside of the stack) and inside (active area of the membrane electrode unit) in a stack from an electrolytic cell. The hollow fibers may be filled constantly (with a replenishment amount according to the consumption of the decomposed medium) or may be continuously perfused, and in the latter case, it leads to better heat dissipation. Since the liquid pressure can be adjusted statically or operated dynamically, (local) excessive wetting of the adjacent PTL layer (PTL: Porous Transport Layer) or (local) drying of the membrane does not occur.

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment of the method, pressure regulation is carried out to avoid over - supply or under - supply of the liquid to be decomposed to the membrane. For this purpose, for example, the pressure can be varied periodically, for example, using a frequency of 0.1 Hz or 0.01 Hz, or even lower frequencies, and can be adjusted within the narrowest possible range near the optimum value at all times. In this regard, preferably, the cell voltage or the stack voltage can be used as an indicator. The pressure continuously and gradually increases until the cell voltage rises significantly again, and the pressure decreases again until the cell voltage rises significantly again after passing through the minimum value. Here, the fact that the cell voltage (or the sum of the cell voltages of all individual cells, that is, the stack voltage) is minimized at the optimum operating point is utilized. Considering this in relation to the dependence on the water pressure, there are two phenomena that increase the cell voltage or the stack voltage: 1) If the pressure is too low, too little water will reach the surface, meaning that more H2 may be generated than the water being supplied. This reduces the overall efficiency of the plant and automatically leads to an increase in voltage (at the same current) (loss at the active surface, increased resistance loss, activation of less efficient regions). 2) If the water pressure is too high, significantly more water is supplied than is consumed. As a result, the membrane "wets," inevitably leading to the formation of bubbles in the aqueous layer, which again results in lower efficiency and higher cell / stack voltages as a large portion of the efficient catalytic area is shielded.

[0024] Such pressure adjustments can be performed individually for each cell, or for the entire cell stack from several electrolytic cells.

[0025] When a cell or stack is operated via current rather than voltage, pressure regulation can also be performed via current rather than voltage, in which case the optimal operating point is characterized by the maximum current value.

[0026] The pre-pressure set inside the hollow fiber when liquid is supplied is preferably at least several times the pure capillary pressure (= hydrostatic pressure at the lower end of the hollow fiber) so that liquid permeation from the fiber proceeds uniformly and with little regard to the position within the liquid column.

[0027] The proposed apparatus and related methods enable bubble-free, and therefore inherently highly efficient, water electrolysis. This can be achieved using readily available materials, so as not to cause excessive degradation or premature failure of the electrolysis system due to changes in material properties over time. The apparatus and methods can be implemented at a cost equivalent to or even lower than conventional electrolysis systems and can be scaled up. Higher mechanical stability of the membrane is achieved by applying or incorporating a fiber mesh. Active thermal management is possible due to the permeability of hollow fibers. Compared to the bubble-free technique described at the beginning, better proton or anion conductivity is achieved based on a larger active transport capacity within the membrane by eliminating pores through which particles can pass. This omission of pores also improves the reliability of the membrane. Improved process control / controllability of the supply of the medium, particularly water, through active supply is also possible. When a hollow fiber membrane is used that is appropriately configured as a filter against harmful substances and / or catalyst poisons in the membrane, this additional filtering function of the hollow fibers beneficially reduces harmful substances and / or catalyst poisons in the membrane, thereby achieving improved long-term stability.

[0028] The proposed apparatus and related methods will be briefly described below, based on exemplary embodiments and accompanied by drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0029] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure and operation of the proposed device. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view or cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the membrane in the proposed apparatus. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side or cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the membrane in the proposed apparatus. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a side or cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the membrane in the proposed apparatus. [Figure 5] Figures 5(A) to 5(E) are top views of various exemplary embodiments of the membrane of the proposed apparatus with various water supply strategies. [Figure 6] This is a side view or cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the membrane in the proposed apparatus. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] The proposed apparatus or electrolytic cell comprises two electrodes along with a membrane embedded between the electrodes, thus corresponding to a so-called zero-gap electrolytic cell. Figure 1 shows the operation of this cell, with water decomposition as an example, along with an exemplary schematic diagram of the electrolytic cell. In this figure, cathode 1 and anode 2 can be seen, with membrane 3 embedded between them. In this case, cathode 1, anode 2, and membrane 3 form a sandwich structure accordingly. In this example, a mesh made of hollow fibers 4 is incorporated within membrane 3. The water to be decomposed is introduced into these hollow fibers 4 under pressurization via a pump (not shown), so in this example, water flows through the hollow fibers. The electrolytic process is initiated by a voltage appropriate for electrolysis between anode 2 and cathode 1, thereby decomposing the water into hydrogen and oxygen. As shown in this figure, hydrogen exits the electrolytic cell through the gas-permeable cathode 1, and oxygen exits the electrolytic cell through the gas-permeable anode 2. Further possible catalyst layers and porous transport layers (PTLs) are not shown in this figure. Typically, several of these electrolytic cells are connected to each other via bipolar plates to form a stack. This, too, cannot be deduced from this diagram, but is known to those skilled in the art.

[0031] Figures 2 to 4 show exemplary side or cross-sectional views of the membrane 3 of the proposed apparatus in various embodiments. The three examples differ in the arrangement of the mesh made of hollow fibers within or on the membrane. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the mesh of hollow fibers is directly incorporated into the membrane. In this case, the membrane material 5, the applied catalyst layer 6 (containing an ionomer), and the hollow fibers 4 oriented in different directions can be seen.

[0032] Figure 3 shows one embodiment in which a hollow fiber mesh is applied to the surface of a membrane. In this embodiment, as in Figure 4 below, only the hollow fibers 4 of the mesh running in one direction can be seen. Figure 4 shows one embodiment in which the hollow fiber mesh having the hollow fibers 4 is bonded between two membrane layers. Finally, Figure 6 shows one embodiment in which the hollow fibers are incorporated adjacently within the membrane rather than as a mesh. In this example, the hollow fibers 4 have a large diameter that is approximately equivalent to the thickness of the membrane.

[0033] Figures 5(A) to 5(E) illustrate various methods for supplying water to the hollow fibers of a hollow fiber mesh. Each figure shows a top view of a membrane 3 designed as a square in this example, where the hollow fibers 4 are visible. In the example in Figure 5(A), water is supplied to the hollow fibers 4 from only one side of the membrane. In the example in Figure 5(B), the hollow fibers 4 protrude significantly beyond the edge of the membrane 3 on two opposing sides, each bundled together. In this case, water is supplied to the bundle from one side, with a water outlet on the opposing side. In the example in Figure 5(C), the ends of the hollow fibers on the two opposing sides of the membrane 3 are each connected to a common supply conduit or common outlet conduit running parallel to the edge of the membrane 3. In this case, as suggested in Figure 5(C), water is supplied via the supply conduit and drained via the outlet conduit. This is also done in the example in Figure 5(D), where the same arrangement is used on the other two sides of the membrane. In the example in Figure 5(E), unlike in Figure 5(D), for example, no conductivity is performed, and only water is introduced into the fibers.

[0034] However, these are merely exemplary arrangements for water supply and, where applicable, for drainage. Any other arrangement of water supply or water conduction may be used. Also, not all fibers shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5(A) to 5(E) need to be hollow fibers. Solid fibers may also be used as support fibers between hollow fibers. For example, in the examples of Figures 5(A), 5(B), or 5(C), all fibers running horizontally in the figures may be solid fibers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 1 Cathode 2 Anodes 3 membrane 4 Hollow Fibers 5. Film materials 6 Catalyst layer

Claims

1. An apparatus that can be used for electrolysis and / or synthesis, or can be used as a fuel cell, and comprises at least two gas-permeable electrodes (1, 2), with a membrane (3) embedded between the electrodes, An apparatus characterized in that an array of numerous fibers spread out on the membrane is incorporated into the membrane (3) and / or applied to one or both sides of the membrane (3), of which at least 10 fibers are hollow fibers (4), these hollow fibers (4) extend to at least one edge of the membrane (3) and have open ends on one or both sides, wherein the outer covering of the hollow fibers (4) is configured to be partially permeable to a liquid medium that can be introduced into the hollow fibers (4) through the open ends.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the arrangement, which is made up of a large number of fibers spread out on the membrane, is a mesh made of fibers.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the membrane (3) is configured as an anion-conducting or proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the hollow fiber (4) has an inner diameter in the range of 0.5 μm to 200 μm.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer covering of the hollow fiber (4) has a wall thickness in the range of 0.2 μm to 50 μm.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer covering of the hollow fiber (4) has a wall thickness in the range of 50 μm to 250 μm.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the hollow fiber (4) is formed from polysulfone, polyethersulfone, Nafion, sulfonated polyphenylene, polyetheretherketone, polyvinyl vinyl (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), polyimide, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cellulose acetate, polyolefin, polyvinyl fluoride, polyphenylene sulfide, carbon, or a silicone-based material or a silica-based material.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the outer covering of the hollow fiber (4) is configured to satisfy a filtering function for catalyst poisons and / or other harmful substances to the membrane.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the arrangement, which consists of numerous fibers spread on the membrane, is formed from a mixture of solid fibers and hollow fibers (4).

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is configured for performing PEM electrolysis, AEM electrolysis, or alkaline electrolysis, or as a PEM fuel cell.

11. A method for performing electrolysis using the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising applying the voltage necessary for the electrolysis between two electrodes (1, 2) and introducing the liquid medium to be decomposed into a hollow fiber (4) under pressure.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the liquid medium is supplied into the hollow fiber (4) from one or more sides of the membrane (3).

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the supply of the liquid medium into the hollow fiber (4) is regulated by pressure control to prevent an oversupply or undersupply of the liquid medium to the membrane (3).

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the pressure adjustment is performed so that the voltage between the two electrodes (1, 2) or the current flowing between the two electrodes (1, 2) does not exceed a preset value indicating an oversupply or undersupply to the film (3) in the case of voltage, and does not fall below the preset value in the case of current.

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